The Terror of Central Park
by miss37
Summary: When a strange murder occurs, Mac and the team are puzzled by their findings. Jo and Adam decide to go on a stake out in Central Park which seems to be where the whole thing started, but they find more than they bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, folks. This is the beginning of my new Halloween story. My college classes start tomorrow...aiming for my Master of Science in Criminal Justice...I hope I will be able to keep up with the story. :) I will try not to keep you all in too much suspense. miss37**

Mac Taylor was sitting at his desk looking out the window as much as he could see out. He wished his office had a window that was directly outside but there was a walkway between his office and the outside window. He could not help but remember that it was the week of Halloween and things had already started getting weird around the city. There had been the usual zombie run down in the city and had backed up traffic for miles. Mac sighed. He just wished people could be more considerate with their fun. They could at least stay on the sidewalks. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. They had just gotten done with a case and he was going home when Christine got there. She had said she would come by and ride home with him and they would have a good dinner tonight. He thought he might be asleep when she got here if she did not hurry.

Christine walked into the lab from the elevator and found Mac sleeping in his chair in the office. She smiled as she folded her arms. She walked over to him and kissed him. Mac jumped as he woke up. "Wake up," Christine said.

"I'm awake," Mac replied and sat up.

"Are you really?"

"I'm about as awake as I've been all day."

"Well, come on and you and I are going home and we're going to take a hot bath and eat while we're in the bath."

"Oh, we are?"

"Yes, and then I'm going to massage your shoulders and then I'm going to…well, I won't tell you all of it."

"You're going to keep me in suspense?"

"Yes."

Mac sniffed at the bag that Christine had brought. "Something smells good," he said.

"Oh no, no cheating."

They walked to the elevator and went down to Mac's Avalanche which was parked in the parking garage. "I'm so glad we get to go home together tonight," Christine said.

"Tomorrow night, if I get off like this, I will come and pick you up," Mac replied.

"Great, then I won't have to get in a cab."

As they were driving home, suddenly, Mac saw someone…or something…run right in front of the Avalanche. He slammed on the brakes and got stopped. "What was that?" he asked.

Christine was looking out the window and then she looked at him. "I don't know," she said. "Let's just go home."

Mac looked at her a moment. "What's wrong?"

"I just want to go home. I don't know what that was, but it didn't look human."

"It didn't?"

"No, so let's just go."

"Okay."

Mac went on and drove on home. They went up to their apartment and Christine took their food out and let it sit on the counter in the bathroom while she got ready for their bath. "Come on, Mac," she said.

"I'm coming," Mac replied from the bedroom.

Mac soon came in there and then they got into the tub together. "Now, what did you bring to eat?" Mac asked.

"I think you're going to love it and I even brought some dessert," Christine replied.

"Oh, and what is the dessert?"

"You will have to wait and see."

"Come on and tell me."

"Nope, but it's for after we get into bed."

Christine took the food from the bag which included a bunch of grapes and a plate of popcorn shrimp. "Mmmm," Mac said. "That is what I have been smelling."

"Open wide," Christine said and held a shrimp to his mouth.

Mac took the shrimp and chewed. "It's as good as it smells," he said.

"I know. I made it."

They ate the shrimp and then fed each other grapes. Christine got out of the tub first. "Hurry up," she said.

"Don't rush me," Mac replied. "I'm enjoying this."

"You're going to enjoy what's next too."

"Okay, I'm coming."

Christine went into the bedroom and pulled the covers back on the bed and set her surprise on the nightstand. Mac soon came from the bathroom with a towel around him. "Do I need clothes?" he asked.

"Absolutely not," Christine replied.

Mac went over to the bed and dropped the towel. Christine looked at him as he folded his arms. "Why do I get so hot when you do that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "Static electric attraction?"

"Get in this bed."

Mac smiled and got in the bed. Christine got out from under the covers. "What are you doing?" Mac asked.

"You'll see," Christine replied. She sat down on top of Mac and reached to the nightstand to get the small bowl that looked like a sugar bowl.

"What's that?" Mac asked.

"My surprise, now just lay there and…shhhh."

Mac watched as she took the lid off the small silver "bowl". He looked inside and it had melted chocolate in it. He looked at Christine. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

Christine stuck her finger in the chocolate and drizzled it on Mac's lips. He tasted the chocolate as some of it ran into his mouth. He stared at Christine and then she kissed him to eat the chocolate off his lips then she sat back up. "Get under this cover with me," Mac said.

"Not yet," Christine whispered.

"Don't tease me."

"I like to tease you."

Christine stuck her finger in the chocolate again and drizzled it over his lips and chin and neck. "Christine, you're killing me," Mac said.

Christine laughed. "I think you're coming alive."

She kissed all the chocolate off him again and then he grabbed her. "You better get under this cover," he said. "Let me put some chocolate on you."

"I just wonder where you would put it."

Mac smiled his mischievous smile. "I bet you already know," he said.

Christine got under the cover and Mac pulled her close to him. She giggled as he kissed her neck. "You want the chocolate?" she asked.

"Forget that," Mac said. "You taste better than chocolate." He took the bowl and set it on the nightstand. "I just want to get at you."

Mac moved on top and started kissing her and as he moved down to her neck and chest, he heard Christine gasp. He did not know it was from anything but pleasure until she pushed him. "What?" he asked.

"Mac, I saw something outside that window!" Christine said.

Mac looked toward the window and then at Christine. "You know we're on the twentieth floor and there is no balcony out there, right?"

"Mac Taylor, I don't care if we're on the hundredth floor! I saw something outside that window!"

Mac looked toward the window again. "Well, it's not there now and I want to finish what we've started here," he said. "It's been a few days."

Christine blew out a breath. "Okay," she said. "Maybe it was the light on the window."

"Let's forget it," Mac whispered.

Christine stared into his beautiful green eyes. "It's forgotten."

Little did they know that there was something outside the window…but it was not interested in watching them…

The next morning, Mac was awakened at 5 AM by a text message. He reached to the nightstand to get his phone that was buzzing and ringing at the same time. "Oh shut up, you stupid thing," he said as he pressed the button on it. He looked at the text message as Christine put her arm around him. "I have to get up," he said.

"Oh, it's so warm in this bed," Christine said sleepily.

"I know, but I have to go out in that Fall air and see what's going on."

Christine tightened her embrace around him. "I'm not going to let you get up," she said.

Mac smiled. "Oh, I wish I could use that for an excuse but it wouldn't work. I have to go."

"You be careful."

"I will."

Mac got up and got a shower right quick and got dressed. By that time, Christine had him come coffee fixed and an egg. He smiled at the breakfast. "You're determined that I'm not going without food, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes I am, Detective," Christine replied. She kissed him. "Promise me, you will eat that."

Mac looked at the Styrofoam carry-out bowl. "Well, I better wait until after I see the body," he said. "Eggs and bodies don't really mix."

"Okay, if you say so."

"I'll try to see you at lunch."

"I'll be looking for you."  
Mac left and went down to his Avalanche and headed for the crime scene which was not far from where he lived. When he arrived, of course, there were a lot of lights flashing there already and Don Flack was there waiting for Mac when he got out of the truck. "Morning, Mac," Don said.

"Morning," Mac replied. "What do we have out there?"

Don looked around them at the reporters and other people who were standing around. "Come on."

Mac followed him past the crime scene tape. "This victim looks like they've been mauled," Don said to Mac.

"Mauled? Who found this body?"

"The Super of this building. He came out to put garbage in the dumpster there, and he saw the body in the alley here."

Don led Mac over to the body. Mac could see well that the naked body had been mauled from where he was standing. Danny was already there. "Morning, Mac," he said as he was taking pictures.

"Morning," Mac said. "You found anything?"

"I just got here a few minutes ago. This body is pretty torn up."

Mac looked at Don. "Any ID?" he asked.

"We found a purse, but it was chewed up," Don said. "Everything in it was chewed beyond recognition."

Mac moved closer to the body when Danny was done with the pictures. He squatted and looked at the young woman whose eyes were wide, looking like they were full of fright. He shined his light on the woman's body which had been literally gutted. He looked at Danny. "Did you find anything dragged off away from the body?" he asked.

"Nothing," Danny said. "You think maybe it was dogs?"

"Not even the clothes?"

"Nothing."

Mac examined the body more. The arms and legs were chewed all up and down but he was glad to see that her fingertips were still there so maybe they could get an ID on her. "It must have been more than one dog," he said. He looked at Don. "Have there been any reports of dogs in this neighborhood?"

"Not that I know of," Don said. "But I'll check on all that when I get back to the precinct."

"Do that. I have not heard any dogs around where I live or heard anyone complaining about them either."

"Must be something creeping around out here."

"We need to find out what it is before something like this happens again."

Mac looked around the alley but did not find any signs of anything that might have come from the victim but he did find bloody footprints…or some sort of prints. He squatted and shined his light on them and Danny came over there. "You find something?" he asked.

"Does that look like dog tracks to you?" Mac asked.

Danny looked at the tracks which had "pad" prints, but they were too big to be from a dog. "Too big for that," he said.

Mac stood up and took pictures of them and then went on following the prints until the petered out. "I guess the blood wore off here," he said as they were at another alley and could not tell which way the…suspect…went. They walked back to the scene where Don was still trying to control the scene.

"Something like this would happen right here around this time of year," Don said.

"What do you mean?" Mac asked.

"Halloween. All kinds of weird stuff happens around this time of year."

"Cause people do weird stuff this time of year."

"Tell me about it. You know what happened the other night?"

"What?" Mac asked, dreading the answer.

"Two guys dressed up like naked zombies and went into this bar and got up on the bar dancing to the music and people were actually buying them drinks and they got so wasted that one of them was trying to eat all the peanuts in the bar. By the time we got there, the bouncer had the guy pinned down and the other one had gone to the back of the bar with some woman that he didn't even know. Apparently, she likes zombies."

Mac shook his head. "Please don't tell me anymore."

"That was nothing…this guy had a Halloween party and the music and all the other sound effects like screaming and moaning and all that they had going were so loud that they could hear it about four blocks away."

"Okay, let's just try to concentrate on this case we have now."

"Yeah, I'm on it."

Mac and Danny went back to the lab to get the evidence submitted and analyzed. There was not much but they would go on what they had. Mac looked at the eggs that Christine had made for him. They were cold now. If there was one thing he could not eat, it was cold eggs. He dropped the bowl in the garbage can in the lounge. He certainly did not want it to be in his office. If Christine saw it, she would fuss at him.

Mac went to his office to write on his report. There was not much to write except about the procedures they had used to find the evidence and how it was packaged and what they had found about the victim. He wondered about those tracks. They had not looked like any dog tracks…they had been much bigger. He knew there was not a dog that big in New York that no one had seen yet.

Adam was looking at the prints that were in the photos he was developing. He did not think they looked like dog prints either and they were even bigger than a wolf's prints. He knew there were wolves and coyotes living in Central Park but he had never seen any prints this big. He finished developing the pictures and then went into the lab where Sheldon was working on the DNA samples that they had taken from the wounds on the victim.

"Look at the size of these prints," Adam said as he showed the pictures to Sheldon.

Sheldon looked at the prints. "They 'are' large, aren't they?" he asked.

"Yeah. Doesn't look like dogs."

"What do you think it could be?"

"I don't know. Could be anything."

"I didn't know there were so many wild animals running around in New York."

Adam shook his head. "I didn't either until I was out in Central Park at night one time and I heard a wolf howling," he said. "They should let people know things like this."

Sheldon looked at Adam with a smile. "Are you afraid of the big, bad wolf?" he asked.

"No," Adam replied. "I mean, I just think they should warn people that there are wild animals out there."

"Well, right now, we need to figure out what happened to this victim." Sheldon stared at the DNA results. "There are two DNA signatures on this, and one of them is not human."

"So that means there's a big animal out there somewhere."

"I guess it does."

Mac looked at his watch as he finished the first part of his report. He had to get down to the morgue to see what Sid had found out. Jo was in her office now. He had informed her about the case but he and Danny would be handling it most of the time. Jo would work in the lab for this case. Mac left his office and went down to the morgue. When he walked in, he did not see Sid at first but then he realized he was squatted beside the examination table staring at a wound on the victim.

"Morning, Sid," Mac said.

"Morning," Sid replied.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking at this wound here on the victim. It's so odd…it's like canine teeth did it but they had to be very large."

Mac walked over there. "Are you telling me that there's a very big dog out there?" he asked.

"Mac, I'm telling you that there must be something bigger than a dog out there," Sid said.

"And what do you think it is?" Mac asked.

"That is your job." Sid gave Mac a swab. "The victim was sexually assaulted."

Mac scowled. "What?"

"Sexually assaulted."

Mac took the swab. "So maybe she was assaulted and they left her there and then she was mauled."

"Could be the answer. I also did a tox and printed her…Karen Ashbon."

Mac looked at the printout. "Twenty-five years old," he said. "New York license." He looked at Sid. "Thanks."

Mac went back up to the lab. He was glad he at least had a little more information but what kind of information? He supposed they would figure it out…and he hoped he could suppress any rumors from flying around…after all, it was closer to Halloween and people liked to start scary rumors about stuff. He took the swab into the lab and gave it to Lindsay. "Sid believes the victim was sexually assaulted," Mac said.

"Sexually assaulted?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes. Maybe she was molested and then left there and mauled later."

"Poor woman."

"Yeah, just run this DNA and let me know what you find."

Mac went back to his office and looked at the fingerprints. They would have to find out something about this woman so they could maybe figure out what happened to her…


	2. Chapter 2

Mac was still sitting at his desk when Lindsay came in. "You got something?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Lindsay replied.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, either the sample was contaminated or…well, see for yourself."

Mac looked at the DNA results and then at Lindsay. "Obviously, it was contaminated," he said.

"But those are the only samples. There's the victim's DNA and then this…it seems that the other two were mixed together somehow."

"Canine DNA?"

"As in wolf."

Mac leaned back in his chair and looked at Lindsay. "Are you telling me it was a werewolf?" he asked with an amused look on his face.

"Did you see the size of those prints, Mac?"

"You 'do' know that a werewolf is a mythological creature, right?"

"Of course, but wait till you see the results of the…fur that was on the victim."

Mac took the readout. "Wolf hair…" He scowled at the paper. "These DNA's were mixed too?"

"Yes, and that has to be more than contamination."

"Well, let's eliminate all possibilities in reality before we decide to delve into the world of the unknown and say there's a werewolf out there. Okay?"

"Sure. I'm not one to spread rumors."

Lindsay left the office and Mac dropped that report on his desk. He leaned back in his chair. He could imagine what the mayor, the commissioner and the chief would say. They would probably strip him of his badge and his dignity and then escort him outside and tell all the reporters waiting out there that he could be found reading parking meters and writing tickets for a very long time.

Mac hoped he did not have to report some crazy mess like that but he had to write in his report what they had found in their analysis…and he was sure Lindsay did not make a mistake. He knew there was no such thing as a werewolf. He had seen a lot of strange stuff since he became a cop but there was always an explanation. He was sure there would be one this time too.

As the day went on, they found more information about the victim, Karen Ashbon. She worked at a bar in the Bronx, and she also had an apartment there. Jo and Adam were going to examine the apartment, and Mac and Danny were going to the bar. Don was on his way to visit the victim's brother which was the only relative they could find so far.

Mac and Danny went out to the bar that the victim had worked at. They walked up to the bar and the bartender came to them. "What can I get you?" he asked.

Mac and Danny showed him their badges. "We need information," Mac said. "He showed the man a picture of the victim. "Do you know this woman?"

"Karen?" The man looked at them. "Sure I know her. She works here."

"And you are?"

"Jason Walls. What happened to her? Is she dead?"

"I'm afraid so. How did you know her?"

"We worked together."

"Did she say anything to you about anyone harassing her? Did she have a boyfriend?"

"She had a boyfriend. I don't think she was very comfortable with him. She said he was an animall in bed and liked sex a lot."

"What was his name?"

"Ian Walsh."

Mac wrote that down. "You say she was afraid of him?" he asked.

"I think she was," Walls replied. "I don't think she knew how to get away from him and she thought he had a lot of other women."

"How did she get involved with him?"

"I don't know. She met him at a concert or something."

"Did you ever see the guy?" Danny asked.

"Sure, he came in here once or twice," Walls said. "He was definitely a flirt."

"How so?"

"Well, when Karen wasn't here at the bar, she hit on every woman sitting here, and he had those extremely white teeth. I guess they liked it."

"Did he leave with a woman besides Karen?" Mac asked.

"Not that I saw."

"When was the last time you saw Karen?"

"Last night. She was here."

"What time did she leave?"

"Around one. I closed up."

"Did he pick her up?"

"I don't know. She didn't say anything about him picking her up."

"Thanks."

Mac and Danny walked out of the bar. "I guess we have to find Ian Walsh," Mac said.

"You think he did all that to that woman?" Danny asked.

"He may have committed the rape but I think she was mauled by something else."

They got in the Avalanche and headed back to the lab. "You wanta get something to eat?" Danny asked.

"Why? Are you hungry?" Mac asked.

"Yes. It's after lunch time. I'm starving."

"We can pick up something."

They picked up some food and then went on to the lab. Mac sat in his office and ate while he waited for Jo and Adam to get back. He wanted to know what they found in the victim's apartment. He thought she must have something that reflected her feelings about Ian Walsh.

When Jo and Adam came back, Jo entered all her evidence and then went to Mac's office. "So, did you find anything?" Mac asked as he ate another fry.

"Adam has to get into those computers but we found a camera and some strange photos in that apartment. I have them entered into evidence."

"I want to see them, but can you enlighten me a little?"

"Most of them were blurred but there was this one picture of stones…you'll just have to see it."

Mac scowled at her. "Stones?"

"Yes, but they were the most unusual looking stones I have ever seen."

"How so?"

"Like I said, you will have to see it."

"What about the other pictures?" Mac asked.

"Some of them looked like there was some sort of creature in the woods or something."

"Creature?"

"Yes. It certainly wasn't a human being."

"Did it look anything like a werewolf?"

Jo stared at Mac a moment trying to decide whether he was serious or not. "I don't know. It was an animal."

"Well, now we have pictures of some unknown animal in the woods in Central Park to add to the foreign DNA that was found on and inside the victim."

"Inside?"

"Yes. She was raped and apparently mauled afterward."

Jo folded her arms. "And you think it was a werewolf?"

"I never said that, but…never mind. I think she was mauled by something else after she was raped and left there."

"Mauled by wolves? I wouldn't think that wolves would maul someone unless they were rabid."

"If she was bleeding they might."

"Well, that doesn't explain how their DNA got inside her."

Mac was confused about that himself. "Let's not get any rumors going around about werewolves, okay?"

"No one will hear it from me."

Just then, Adam was coming down the hall toward Mac's office. "I'll just let him talk to you," Jo said.

Mac shook his head. He could tell Adam had found out something that he was dying to tell. He motioned him on in as Adam reached the door. "Boss, I have to show you something," Adam said.

"Go ahead," Mac replied. "But I don't want to hear the word werewolf."

Adam opened his mouth and then closed it. He stared at Mac a moment. "You mean I can't say it at all?" he asked.

"No."

Adam frowned. "Well…"

"Okay, go ahead and say whatever you were going to say," Mac said.

Adam sighed. "Thanks, Boss." He gave Mac a printout of some evidence he had found. "The victim was keeping a diary in her computer. There are several pages and I haven't read them all but I started with the most recent, and she even has some pictures in it."

Mac looked at the diary entry…

_"Last night, I followed him into Central Park. I had to wonder why he was going out there. I saw him take off all his clothes and lay them in a pile. Then he looked up and howled at the moon. Then he turned into a werewolf. It's crazy and I wouldn't believe it if I had not seen it. He had dark gray fur and glowing eyes, and he stood up on his hind legs to urinate around the clothes in a circle, and then the clothes became stone. Did I really see this or was it a nightmare? It had to be a nightmare…right?"_

Mac looked at the date on the entry. "This was the night before last," he said. "This is the last entry?"

"Yes," Adam replied. "I thought you would want to see that."

"I want you to look at some more entries and see if you can find out who she was talking about here. This 'he' is not going to be good enough…and Adam…"

Adam looked at Mac, hearing that serious tone in his voice. "Yes, sir?"

"Don't spread this around. Keep it to yourself."

"Yes sir. I will."

"Good."

Adam left the office and went back to the computer lab. Mac looked at that printout again. Obviously the woman had thought she saw something but maybe she had been taking drugs and was hallucinating. He had not gotten the tox report from Sid yet. He got the phone and called down to the morgue. "Sid," he said. "Have you gotten that tox report yet?"

"Just a minute," Sid replied. He went to his files and found the report. "Uhm, it was negative for everything. She wasn't drunk or on drugs of any kind."

Mac frowned. "Okay, thanks, Sid."

Mac hung up the phone and leaned on his desk. That would mean that maybe she had some sort of mental disorder like schizophrenia or maybe something else. Mac frowned. There had been no report of that in anything that they had found on that woman. For all they knew, she was a perfectly sane person. If that woman was not on drugs or anything…Mac shook his head. She could not have seen that. Maybe it 'was' a nightmare. He could not believe that the woman wrote a nightmare in her diary though. She was also mauled by something, and that was not a nightmare…it was reality.

Mac rubbed his face. He could not thing that this woman's boyfriend changed into a werewolf and then raped and mauled her. That was impossible. There had to be some other explanation. He did not want this story to get out into the city. He had to try and keep it in the lab. What would people think of him if they thought he believed in werewolves? They would be sending him for a mental evaluation.

Jo came back down to Mac's office. "So, what did you think about that evidence that Adam found?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "What do 'you' think about it?" he asked.

"Why do I get the feeling that that question could decide my future?"

"Just humor me."

"I think it's very strange and confusing."

"It's more than that. If we let that get out, they would close down this lab and you and I would be the oldest unemployed crime scene investigators in history."

Jo put her hands on her hips. "I am not that old," she declared.

Mac looked at her with a knowing look. "Let's not play around about this," he said.

"I'm not, and ever how old I am is none of anyone's business."

"I know how old you are. I have files and I'm the boss you know."

"I know how old you are too."

"So?"

"I'm not as old as you are."

"Okay. There's no need to debate this."

Jo sat down on the couch. "Mac, this is serious," she said. "If there is something like that out there, we need to know about it and do something about it. Don't you agree?"

"Jo, we both know there has to be some other explanation."

"Mac, you don't want to think that there's something out there but you can't deny that this is strange."

"Yes, I admit it's strange but we don't know anything worth telling yet."

"We better find out soon."


	3. Chapter 3

After Mac had checked the victim out thoroughly, he did not find anything that would suggest that she had any mental illness. As a matter of fact, her brother told them that there was nothing wrong with his sister. She had always been happy until she met that new boyfriend. He had dominated her and made her think she could not get away from him. Her brother had even told Don that Karen Ashbon had told him that she had seen some strange things about her boyfriend, Ian Walsh. He had not gotten any details about it yet so he could not tell them what she knew…or thought she knew.

Mac and Jo were standing in the hallway wondering what they should do next. "Why don't we just go out to the Park tonight and watch?" Jo asked.

Mac looked at her. He did not want to go out into Central Park tonight. He wanted to go home to his wife. After all, he was the boss and he did not have to take on such jobs. "Let Adam do it," he said. "And if you want to do it, you go with him."

"Adam?"

"Yes. Adam. I'm going home tonight and take this up again in the morning. This kind of stuff is right up Adam's alley. Take him."

"And you're just going home and not even be curious about this?"

"Absolutely. The only thing I'm curious about in the evenings is what Christine is going to do. I have a right to be…I'm a newlywed."

Jo stared at him with her mouth open. "Mac Taylor," she said. "I think that is the dirtiest thing you have ever said."

"Dirty? What's dirty about it? I never know what Christine is going to do when I come home."

"Okay, then," Jo said. "I'll take Adam. We're single."

"Jo."

"That's what you're saying…let the single ones do the work."

"No, but Adam will enjoy it especially if you tell him you're hunting a werewolf."

"I'm sure he will."

"Make sure you tell him to do a lot of research on werewolves so you guys will be ready if you see one."

"Ha, ha, ha."

By that evening, Adam had found out more information from Karen Ashbon's diary. She had been observing odd behavior in Ian Walsh. He was always staring at the moon, especially when it was full, and he seemed to be upset when there was a New Moon. She had even given the area where she saw him go into Central Park. It had been around the begonia beds.

Jo met Adam in the conference room. He had a backpack full of stuff. "What is all this?" Jo asked.

"Everything we'll need if we're out there all night," Adam said. "I have each of us a bottle of water, candy bars, an apple, granola bars and flashlights. I also have an Ipad with the information I found about werewolves as well as a camera and equipment."

"Hold it. Mac told you to do that, didn't he?"

"He said I should…" Adam dropped his head. "He was just joshing me about the werewolf information, wasn't he?"

"He was. He thinks it's real funny that we're going werewolf hunting."

"Well, from what I've read in this woman's diary, she had reason to be suspicious. I mean, this guy was way out there. He even ate rare meat."

"Okay, let's just go. You seem to be well-prepared for everything you'll need to give me nightmares and keep me up nights wondering why I'm in this city."

"I like to be well-prepared."

They headed for the elevator and passed by Mac's office on the way. He was getting ready to leave. Jo stopped and folded her arms. "Don't think that you're getting away with sending me out there with Adam," she said.

Mac smiled. "What? Is he enthusiastic?" he asked.

"Oh, you."

Mac chuckled as she went on to the elevator. He looked at his watch. He was about to go and pick Christine up at the restaurant. She was bringing their dinner again. He was looking forward to it…she always brought something good.

Jo and Adam got into Adam's truck and headed for Central Park where Karen Ashbon saw whatever she saw. "Do you know how werewolves got started?" Adam asked.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me, right?" Jo asked.

"Well, uhm, not if you don't want me to."

"Go ahead before you explode."

"Okay. Ishtar was a Greek goddess in Greek mythology and Gilgamesh refused to be her lover because of the way she treated her other suitors. I mean, she was a goddess and I guess she could be pretty cruel if they didn't do what she wanted. So since he wouldn't do what she wanted, she turned him into a wolf. Legend has it that werewolves have a big appetite for sex."

"Adam."

"Well…anyway…it's said that they lay their clothes in a pile and urinate a circle around them so they will become stone and no one can steal them and they can reclaim them when they want."

Jo looked at him. "Isn't that what Karen Ashbon said her boyfriend did?" she asked.

"Yeah. That's one thing I thought was odd. I mean she's either studied werewolves or she…"

"Oh, let's just get there. This is giving me the creeps."

"One other thing…the only way to kill a werewolf is to shoot them with a silver bullet."

Jo shook her head hoping that they would not have to prove that theory. Adam arrived at the entrance that Karen Ashbon had noted. "So, what do we do? Leave the truck here?" Adam asked.

"That's probably a good idea," Jo replied. "We wouldn't want to spook our prey."

Adam laughed his nervous laugh as they got out of the truck and walked out toward the begonia beds. Jo had always loved this area…in the daytime, but at night, it was anything but beautiful. It was downright spooky. They got out into the bushes and trees to watch the open space. Adam set up a camera to capture whatever they saw. He put that into some rocks so it would be protected.

They settled down with blankets around them. "What if we don't see anything?" Adam whispered.

"We'll go home," Jo replied.

"Have you ever seen anything weird that you couldn't explain?"

"Sure and I never told anyone."

"What about now?"

Jo looked at Adam. "Are you wanting me to tell you a scary story?" she asked.

"Do you know any?"

"I've heard some about this Park."

"Me too."

They were silent for a while and then Jo got into her own pack and took out her thermos of hot coffee and two cups. "I think the breeze is blowing toward our faces," she said. "So maybe no one will smell the coffee."

Adam took a cup and sipped it. It was good and warm and helped against the chilly air. He could not keep from thinking about his warm bed, but he wanted to see it…if there was anything to see.

At around Midnight, they heard rustling in the leaves. Adam turned his camera on and he and Jo shifted to get comfortable and watch. Soon, Ian Walsh came from the woods into the clearing. Jo looked at the picture she had of Ian and was sure it was him.

They watched as he removed all his clothes and laid them in a pile. Then he looked up at the moon and howled. Jo had to stop herself from gasping as he changed into a werewolf right before them. It was by far the ugliest creature she had ever seen. It had dark gray fur and glowing yellow eyes, not to mention those long fangs and it stood on its hind feet. Jo thought it must be more than seven feet tall.

The creature stretched backward and howled as it showed that it was clearly male, and that was the only part that still looked human. He urinated a circle around the clothes and they turned to stone. Adam dropped his coffee cup and the creature turned its glowing eyes toward them. Jo gasped as she realized it had seen them. The creature growled at them and Jo started crawling away through the bushes, expecting that Adam would do the same. When she got out of the bushes she stood up and started running. Then she heard a scream.

Jo looked around. "Adam!" she yelled.

"Run, Jo, Run!" Adam yelled.

Jo was not one to run off and leave a comrade but sheer terror made her run for her life. Adam was staring into the ugly face of the werewolf. He did not know why it had not already killed him. "You will join me," it said in a low, growling voice.

"Join you in what?" Adam asked out of breath with terror.

Jo thought she heard another scream but she was running for her life. She grabbed for her phone but realized she had left it out there. What would she say anyway? She knew Mac's apartment was not far from there. She would just go to his apartment. She had no key to the truck so she would get to Mac.

Mac was lying in bed asleep when he heard someone banging on the door and Christine was shaking him. "Mac, someone's at the door," Christine whispered.

Mac turned toward her and put his arm around her. "Let them go away," he mumbled.

The banging continued and got more insistent. "Mac!"

Mac opened his eyes as he thought that sounded like Jo. "Was that Jo?" he asked.

"It sounds like her," Christine said.

"Mac!"

Mac sat up. "That is Jo," he said. He got out of bed and got into a pair of sweats.

"Mac!"

"I'm coming!" Mac said as he was walking across the living room.

Mac opened the door and Jo practically jumped into his arms. He could feel that she was trembling and terrified. "What's going on?" he asked. He looked out into the hall but there was no one in the hall. He closed the door as Jo was still clinging to him. "Jo, what's wrong? What happened?"

"It's got Adam!" Jo said in almost a scream. "It's got Adam!"

Mac held her by the shoulders. "What are you talking about?"

Jo was practically hyperventilating, and she could not get her breath. "Jo, calm down and tell me what happened," Mac said as he was getting worried himself.

"Mac, it was horrible! We have to help Adam!"

"Jo, what happened?"

Jo took a deep breath and leaned on Mac. "What that woman said…it's true! I saw it!" she said.

"What?" Mac asked. He pushed Jo up and looked at her. "You're not making any sense."

"The werewolf, Mac! It's true!"

Christine was standing there listening too. She looked at Mac. "Werewolf?" she asked.

Mac looked at her with a confused look. "Jo, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"It has Adam! Just get some clothes on and come on!"

Mac sighed as he realized he was not going to get anything out of her. "Just wait here," he said and headed back toward the bedroom.

Christine looked at Jo. "What's going on?" she asked.

Jo looked at Christine with terror in her eyes. "Adam and I were on a stake out in the park and we saw it," Jo said wanting to burst into tears. "It was a werewolf! That guy really did turn into one just like the victim said!"

Christine did not know what she was talking about because she did not know anything about the case. She decided to just let Mac handle this because it sounded far out to her. Mac soon came from the bedroom with a sweatshirt and jeans on and he had a flashlight and his badge and gun. "Where were you?" he asked.

"We were over by the begonia beds," Jo said. "Please just come on."

Mac looked at Christine. "I'll be back," he said and kissed her. "Lock the door."

"I will," Christine replied.

Mac went out the door with Jo who was practically running for the elevator. He hurried after her and they got into the elevator. Jo held onto his arm and he thought she was crying. He knew something had scared this woman and he had never seen Jo this scared by anything. He hoped they could find Adam and…he hoped he was okay, but he had called Don while he was in the bedroom so that he would meet them over there. There had to be some explanation….


	4. Chapter 4

Mac and Jo arrived at the place where she and Adam had left the truck, but the truck was not there. Mac parked and they got out. "Adam's truck was right here!" Jo declared.

"Well, maybe he got it and left," Mac said.

"Mac, I did not imagine this!"

"I'm not saying you did, but I'm saying that maybe you didn't hear what you thought you heard."

"I heard him scream. Something happened."

"Okay, Don is on his way. We're going in there with more than two people."

Soon, Don arrived and got out and he had brought some other officers with him. "Let's go," Mac said as he got into his bulletproof vest.

Jo showed them where she and Adam had been, but there was no sign that anyone had been there. "This is impossible," Jo said. "We were here all night. We even had coffee." Jo ran over to the rocks where the camera had been. "It's not here."

"What's not here?" Mac asked.

"The camera! We had a camera here."

Mac scowled. Either someone had cleaned the place up or…he knew Jo had seen something. He had to talk to her when she was not hysterical. He thought he was beginning to understand what had happened to their victim. There had been no proof of what she said either.

Jo went over to Mac. "You believe me, don't you?" she asked.

"Jo, I believe that you saw something that scared you out of your wits," Mac said.

"Mac Taylor, I know what I saw and I crawled out of here."

"Okay. We'll get the team down here and we'll look for evidence." He looked at the others. "Don't walk around here anymore. We're going to investigate this."

"But where is Adam?" Jo asked.

"I don't know." Mac went over to Don. "Go and see if you can find Adam," he said quietly.

Don stared at Mac a moment. "Alright," he said.

Mac wondered what was going on here and he had to find out. He knew Jo was not one to confuse reality with a nightmare. And the fact that she showed up at his apartment proved that she must have been around here somewhere.

Jo walked over to Mac. "You don't think I was dreaming, do you?" she asked.

"Jo, let's just investigate and see what we find. No one could get 'everything'."

"I can't believe you think I dreamed all this!"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't say you believed me either."

"Jo, go home and get some rest. We will talk in the morning." Mac looked at one of the officers. "Escort her home." He looked at Jo. "That's an order."

Jo glared at him. "Fine," she said. "I'll go, but I know what I saw, Mac."

"I know."

Jo went on with the officer and Mac blew out a breath. He did not know what she expected. What if it was her in his position? She would never believe such a story as this. He knew Jo had seen something out here though. He had never seen her so scared and he knew something had to cause that. He looked around the area but he did not see anything that even indicated that there was anyone out there any time that night.

Mac inspected the area where Jo said she and Adam had been sitting and waiting. He did not see any footprints or anything. She had also said she crawled out of there. He had to get his team here so they could all search this place. When they arrived, he hoped they would find something, otherwise, Jo would look foolish…and where was Adam? He knew Adam was supposed to be with her. He was quite confused about the whole situation. Why would Adam run off and leave Jo there?

Don arrived at Adam's apartment and knocked on the door. He waited a moment and then knocked again. Soon, he heard the door opening. Adam was there looking like he had been in bed asleep. "Don?" he said. "What's going on?"

Don stared at him a moment. "Were you in Central Park with Jo?" he asked.

"We were for a while but we gave up and went home. Why?"

"Did you see anything out there?"

"Not a thing. I think Karen Ashbon was seeing things or maybe she was a writer and just wanted to make up an incredible story. What's this about?"

"Jo went to Mac's apartment all hysterical about what she saw out there," Don said. "She said that you two witnessed Ian Walsh turning into a werewolf and then you ran from him…or she rather, crawled out of there and ran to Mac's apartment. Are you telling me, you didn't see anything out there tonight?"

"Nothing. We didn't see anyone. It was cold out there and we ran out of coffee and decided to go home. Maybe she had a nightmare."

Don was confused now. "She doesn't act like someone who had a nightmare," he said. "This is Jo we're talking about."

"I don't know anything about it."

"What time did you leave the park?"

"Around eleven, I guess."

"So where's the camera you had out there?"

"I never turned it on. We didn't see anything so there was nothing to record."

Don could not believe what he was hearing. It was two different stories. Someone had to be either lying or confused. He wanted to find out soon because he was starting to get confused himself. "You need to get dressed and go to the office," he said. "I'm sure Mac is going to want to talk to you."

"I'll be there," Adam replied.

Don left there wondering if he should stay and make sure Adam went to the office. He got his phone and called Mac…

"Taylor," Mac answered.

"Mac, I'm…" Don started. "I don't know what to say now."

"Just tell me. Did you find Adam?"

"Yeah, and he says that he and Jo left the park around Midnight because they had not seen anything, and he doesn't know anything about a werewolf or Ian Walsh, or anything. He says he never turned the camera on because they didn't see anything."

Mac frowned. "Well, that doesn't even sound right and even if he didn't turn the camera on and if they left, there should still be some sort of evidence that they were here," he said.

"I agree. I told him to get to the office because you are most likely going to want to talk to him."

"Good. I'll get done here and be at the office later. Danny and Sheldon are here and Lovato is here taking care of the scene."

"Great. You want me to make sure he goes to the office?"

"Do you have any reason to believe that he's not going?"

Don was silent a moment. "No I guess not, but something strange is going on around here, Mac. Don't you agree?"

"I sure do, but we have to figure out what's going on. I know Jo had to see something."

"He even suggested that maybe she had a nightmare."

"They went in the truck together. How did she get home if he didn't take her?"

"He said they went home, so I assume he is going to say he took her home."

"Right. Okay, we'll sort all that out when I get to the office. Just make sure he goes there."

"Okay."

Mac ended the call and stood there a moment wondering where this mess was going to lead them. He could not believe Adam was purely lying…but he knew Jo would not just make up a story like that…but he also did not believe that she saw a werewolf. Mac frowned. He did not know what to think. He thought Jo maybe had a nightmare…but then how did she get all the way to his apartment if she was at home. He had to ask Ellie if Jo was at home last night and if she heard or saw anything. He would have to get into all this more in the morning. He was sure there must be some sort of logical explanation for this. He did not know what it was yet but he was sure it would be found soon.

Jo was at her apartment and she felt so nervous she knew she was not going to be getting any rest. Ellie was not even at the apartment. She had spent the night with one of her friends because she did not want to be there alone tonight. Jo wished she were here right now. She made sure the door was locked…again, and then made sure all the windows were locked and then she went into her bedroom. She got her weapon and looked through the whole apartment and then locked her bedroom door. She knew she was not behaving like a cop but right now, she did not feel like a cop…she felt like she was being hunted or something. She knew what she had seen and she was sure that knowledge was not going to sit well with someone out there. And what happened to Adam? How did everything get moved so quickly? That made her even more nervous. She knew there was something going on.

Danny went over to Mac. "There's no indication that anyone has been out here," Danny said.

"Danny, I know Jo and Adam were intending to come out here before I left the office," Mac replied. "Jo even stopped by my office when they were on their way out."

"What time was that?"

"Around eight. I left after that, and I went and picked Christine up and I didn't know any more about Jo and Adam until she started banging on my door around Midnight."

Danny scratched his head and looked around them. "This is the most confusing scene I have ever seen."

Mac shook his head. "We have to figure this out before we are made out to be a laughing stock and before Jo gets sent up the river without a paddle," he said quietly.

"Mac, we all love and respect Jo, but you have to admit, this sounds weird. I mean…a werewolf? Do you really believe she saw what she said?"

Mac sighed. "I don't know, Danny," he said. "But she must have seen something. She was terrified when I opened that door."

Danny shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you but after we came out here, we better find some sort of explanation rather than Jo thought she saw a werewolf, Mac. The commissioner will have our hides for this."

"You let me worry about the commissioner and the chief or whatever," Mac said. "Keep this between all of us here. I better not hear about this on the morning news or somebody is going to be hunting a job."

"Yes, sir."

When they were done there, Mac went back to his office. Don was waiting for him when he walked in the door of the precinct. "Mac, I am trying my best to keep this quiet," he said.

"What's the problem?" Mac asked.

"You better talk to Adam. This is all bizarre."

"Let's talk somewhere besides here," Mac said as he looked around them.

They went up to Mac's office and Don closed the door. "Adam says they left at around eleven," Don said. "How can that be?"

"Don, we're going to figure this out," Mac said. "Just give us some time."

"Mac, if this leaks out, there is not going to be any time. This department will be the laughing stock of the city and maybe the whole country. I can just hear it now, people down in the backwoods will be laughing at us."

"Will you relax?"

Don folded his arms. "Okay, I'm relaxed," he said. "Now, what are we going to do?"

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and I'm going to start with Adam and work my way down till I find out what really happened out there tonight. Somebody is going to tell me or I'm going to get rough."

Don stared at Mac a moment. "Rough?" he asked.

"Yeah. You haven't seen me mad yet."

Don watched as Mac left the office. He thought he had seen Mac mad plenty of times. He thought he did not want to see it if Mac could be worse. He was intimidating if he just gave someone a stern look. Don thought he might ought to go in there with Mac and listen…


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all those great reviews, and I hope you will keep them coming. I just love your reviews. :) Thanks for reading. miss37**

Mac walked into the computer lab and saw that Adam was leaned back in his chair with his feet up on the computer desk. "Adam!" Mac said like he often did.

Instead of jumping up like he always did, Adam just looked around at Mac as though he were unconcerned. "Pull up a chair, Mac," he said.

Mac scowled and stared at him a moment. "I don't want to pull up a chair," he said. "I want to know what happened with you and Jo tonight."

Adam took his feet off the desk and turned around toward Mac. "Well, it's like I told Don: we went out there, we didn't see anything, got tired and left," he said. "That's all I can tell you."

"Are you sure that's how it happened?"

"Of course I'm sure. What's going on?"

"Well, Jo came to my apartment tonight hysterical with fear and said that you two saw Ian Walsh out there and he changed…" Mac wondered how this sounded. "And she said he changed into a werewolf and that you recorded the whole thing on camera. Did you record anything?"

"Nothing. We didn't see anything so I never turned the camera on." Adam looked at Mac. "She said that we saw what?"

"A werewolf. Are you sure you didn't see anything weird out there tonight?"

"I didn't see anything. I took Jo home and then I went home to bed."

"And you left at what time?"

"Around eleven. I was tired and didn't want to watch nothing anymore."

Mac did not know why, but he was having trouble believing that story. "Well, stay here in case we have to talk to you again," he said.

Mac left the computer lab confused. He knew when he was being lied to and he thought Adam was telling a big one. Not to mention that he was not acting like his normal nervous self and he was sitting there with his feet up on the desk. Mac thought there was definitely something going on and he had to find out what that was. He could not believe it had anything to do with a werewolf.

When Mac got back to his office, Don was still there. "Well?" Don asked.

Mac looked at him. "I don't know," he said. "But I don't think Adam is telling the truth."

"Maybe he doesn't want to sound crazy?"

"Don, Jo left that park thinking that whatever was out there had gotten Adam," Mac pointed out. "She said she heard him scream, and when she got to my apartment, she was screaming, 'It's got Adam'. Now, this may sound crazy, but I don't think Jo made all this up. She may not be sure of what she saw out there, but she saw something."

"Why would Adam not want to tell us what he saw?"

Mac sighed. "I don't know," he said. "I'm going to talk to Jo in the morning. I want to see what she says after she's calmed down a bit."

"I hope we can keep this from the chief, but he's going to want to know why we were out there."

Mac considered that a moment. "Don't mention werewolves," he said. "Just tell him that Jo and Adam were on the case and…I don't know. Tell him Jo thought they found something and we didn't find anything out there. You don't have to go into details."

"What if he wants me to?"

"You tell him to come and see me."

"Sure."

Don left and Mac sat down at his desk. He was not even sure what to write in his report. He was not even sure that they had a case. It was supposed to be an investigation into the murder case they had been working on. Now, it had turned into something else. He knew there had to be something out there that would explain what Jo saw or that would at least prove that she and Adam were out there.

When the sun finally came up, Mac was standing in his office sipping coffee. He had had a long night. Everyone had been working on evidence which included dirt from the area. Mac thought there must be something in that dirt…some sort of DNA or anything that would say that someone had to be out there. They had not even found any hair, which Mac thought was odd because there were people out there all the time and he thought there should have been something from someone. They had searched the area where Jo said she crawled out. They had not even found any hair from her.

Now that it was daylight, Mac thought he better go and pay Jo a visit. He went down to his Avalanche and went to Jo's apartment. When he got to the door, he found Ellie in the hall. "Morning," Mac said. "You off to school?"

"No, I just got home," Ellie replied. "I have to get ready and go to school. I was hoping Mom would open the door but she must be sleeping."

Mac frowned as Ellie unlocked the door. They went in. "Mom!" Ellie called. "Mom! I'm home! I'm about to go to school!"

Ellie looked at Mac as they did not get an answer. She started to go in the bedroom, but Mac touched her shoulder. "Wait," he said. "Let me." He had his hand on his weapon as he went to the bedroom door but it was locked.

"What's going on?" Ellie asked.

"I'm not sure. Do you have a key to this door?"

"There's a key in the kitchen."

"Get it."

Ellie went into the kitchen and Mac stood beside the door. "Jo," he said. "It's me, Mac." He hoped she was not locked up in this room scared to death. "Jo."

"Mac?" Jo said.

Mac thought she sounded like she was right on the other side of the door. "Jo, open this door."

Mac waited a moment and listened and then he heard the lock turning on the door knob. The knob turned and Jo peeped out of the room. Mac could see that she had not slept. "Jo, come out of there," he said.

Jo opened the door and came from the room. She looked at Mac. "I know you think I'm crazy, but you didn't see it," she said.

Mac looked at her. He knew she had seen something out there. Ellie came back from the kitchen. "Mom, what's going on?" she asked. "You look terrible."

"I'm just tired," Jo replied. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"I have to get to school. I brought my stuff home. Jenny is waiting for me."

"Okay. Have a good day." Jo hugged Ellie and kissed her cheek.

Ellie just looked at her a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Jo replied.

Ellie was not sure about that but she went on anyway. Mac looked at Jo. "I don't know what to think of all this," Mac said. "I talked to Adam last night."

Jo looked surprised. "What!" she said. "You talked to Adam? Is he okay? Is he in the hospital?"

"No," Mac said. "He's not hurt at all. He says that you two left the park around eleven and that he brought you home and went home to bed himself."

Jo's mouth dropped open. "What is he trying to do? Why is he lying?"

"I'm trying to figure that out, but Jo, a werewolf?"

"Mac, I know this is outrageous but I know what I saw!"

Mac blew out a breath. "I have had strange cases and been very confused before but I have never been this confused," he said. "Let's go get some breakfast."

"I don't know if I'm hungry," Jo said.

"Come on. We're going to discuss this."

Mac sat in the bedroom while Jo got a shower. She insisted that he not leave that room. She was starting to give him the creeps. He looked out the window while he waited wondering just what had happened. He could not believe that it was what Jo said…but…Mac shook his head. He would just have to wait and see what they found.

When Jo was ready, they went down to Mac's Avalanche with Jo holding onto his arm. Mac drove to Christine's restaurant. It was already open. "Morning," Christine said when they walked in.

"Morning," Mac replied. "We need two breakfasts with coffee."

"Coming right up."

"We need a table with a little privacy."

Christine looked at him. She knew what he was talking about. She had seen how terrified Jo was when she came to their apartment too. "Okay, come back here then."

Christine led them to the back of the restaurant where there was a lounge that the employees ate in. Mac and Jo sat down at the table and Christine brought them a cup of coffee. "Now, tell me everything that happened last night," Mac said.

Jo sighed. "Mac, I told you already," she replied.

"I want you to tell me again."

Jo heard the sternness in Mac's voice and she knew what an embarrassment all this must be to him and the rest of the department. "Who all knows about this?" she asked.

"We're trying to keep it as quiet as possible," Mac said. "Just tell me what happened."

Jo leaned on the table. She supposed she could try to convince herself that it was a nightmare and that she did not really see that but she knew it was not a nightmare. "Adam and I parked at the entrance that was closest to where we were going," she began. "We walked down there to the begonia beds where there was a clearing and we set up in the bushes beside it so we could sit there and wait. I poured us some coffee and Adam set the camera up in the bushes. At about Midnight, we heard something so he turned the camera on…"

"Wait a minute," Mac said. "You say he turned the camera on?"

"Yes. He turned it on when we heard something so it would record whatever we saw."

Mac frowned. "He said he never turned it on."

"He's lying for some reason. Anyway, we saw Ian Walsh come into that clearing. He stood right there in front of us and stripped off all his clothes and then he looked up and howled at the moon!" Jo rubbed her face. "Then he became the most hideous creature I have ever seen, Mac. He had glowing eyes and fangs and dark gray fur all over his body, and I know he was at least seven feet tall. Then he…" Jo shook her head. "His male body part was still human," she said and looked at Mac.

Mac scowled. "Go on."

"He urinated a circle around those clothes he had piled on the ground and they became stones. When that happened, Adam dropped his coffee cup and…he saw us, Mac! All I could do was crawl away from there and I thought Adam was right behind me. When I got to my feet, I realized he wasn't and I heard him yell for me to run. Then I heard him scream after I got out." Jo wiped tears off her face. "I thought Adam would be found there mauled to death." She looked at Mac. "And you're telling me that he's fine!"

Mac nodded. "He didn't even look sick."

"You take me to see him," Jo said.

"We're going to eat first," Mac replied.

"I'm not sure I can eat."

"What's that you're always telling me?"

"Mac…"

"Don't argue. You're going to eat and we're going to have a conversation about why you were locked in your bedroom this morning."

"I was scared, Mac. How was I to know whether that thing would come after me?"

"Okay. And Ellie wasn't there last night?"

"No. She spent the night with a friend."

Mac leaned on the table with his coffee cup between his hands. "I was hoping she was there so she could say whether you were there or not."

Jo stared at him a moment. "You don't believe me," she said.

"Jo, so far, there has been absolutely nothing to prove that you or Adam were there. And Adam denies it."

"I don't care if he does. I know what I saw. You should have been out there instead of at home."

Mac frowned at that statement. "You're blaming me?" he asked.

"If you had been there, this might not have happened and we might have evidence."

"How would my being there change anything? No one would believe me either. You have to admit it's an incredible story."

"Incredible or not, it's true."

Christine soon came and brought their breakfasts. She sat down at the table. "Mac," she said. "You remember when something ran in front of the truck when we were on our way home?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, I remember."

"Mac, it looked like a big dog…a very big dog."

Mac looked at her. "Are you saying you saw that werewolf?"

"I don't know what I saw and then there was something outside our window when we were in bed."

Jo looked at Mac. "You didn't tell me any of this," she said.

"I didn't know it had anything to do with the case," Mac declared. "So what if something ran in front of the truck? It's not the first time I ever had to slam on my brakes because something ran in front of me."

Jo leaned on her elbow. "I guess not."

Christine folded her arms and leaned back in the chair. "Mac, you better take this seriously," she said. "I don't know what that was but I don't think it was anything normal and I saw Jo when she came to our apartment."

"I know that," Mac said. "Stop ganging up on me. I'm not saying that she didn't see anything but I'm saying that we have to be careful about this because we don't want to be the laughing stock of the whole nation, and maybe the world."

"He's right," Jo agreed. "We have to have proof." She looked at Mac. "Mac, I'm telling you: he turned that camera on and got the whole thing."

Mac considered that. "But if he deleted it, it would be very hard to retrieve it because Adam is a computer genius."

"There has to be someone who can do it."

"Where's the camera though?"

"It belongs to the lab. He would have to take it back there and it has that hard drive built in. He can't do anything to it without us seeing it."

Mac put his hand up. "Hold it," he said. "We're talking about Adam. Why would Adam do this?"

"Mac, do you know what happens to a person when they're attacked by a werewolf…a man, anyway?"

Mac frowned. "In mythology," he reminded her.

"Well, let's say we're mythological creatures and you're Hercules and we are on a quest to find a werewolf."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Okay. I know that they become a werewolf too," he said.

"Then what do you think could have happened to Adam out there? And why would he do all that?"

Mac had to admit she was right if he believed there was a werewolf out there. "He would want to hide the facts," he said.

"Right. We have to get that camera."

"Okay, but you let me handle all this and don't be confronting Adam right now. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"And when you do, you're going to find him."

Mac hoped she was wrong because he did not want to have to kill…no he would not even think about that. He knew only one place that he could get silver bullets and he supposed he better make a visit…just in case.


	6. Chapter 6

When they were done eating, Mac and Jo left the restaurant. They got in the Avalanche and headed back to the lab. "Do you believe me or not?" Jo asked.

"Jo, I already told you that I don't know what to think right now," Mac said. "I know something happened out but I didn't see what Christine saw, I didn't see what you saw, and I didn't see Adam hide anything. I can't do anything until I have evidence. Don't you understand that?"

Jo sighed. "Yes."

"I'm taking you home. You don't have to worry about werewolves during the day. They only come out at night. You need some sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. No excuses. You understand me? If you come back to the lab before I call you, I'll put you on suspension."

"Yes sir," Jo said defiantly.

"I'll figure this out."

Mac went to Jo's apartment building and even walked her to the door to make sure she went. "Sleep," he said.

"Okay," Jo replied.

Mac left and went back to the lab. Danny and Sheldon were in the lab still straining the dirt they had collected from the area where Jo had seen the werewolf. "You found anything yet?" Mac asked as he walked in.

"Nothing yet," Sheldon answered.

"Well, I hope you two find something soon." Mac moved closer to them so that only they could hear him. "The only people who can work on evidence in this case are me, you two and Lindsay. Adam is not to touch anything."

Danny and Sheldon were puzzled by that. "Can we ask why?" Danny asked.

"Because something strange is going on around here and I think Adam is involved," Mac said.

"Adam? He doesn't have a devious bone in his body."

"He does not. Just do what I said and make sure Lindsay knows."

Mac left there and went into the equipment closet. He found the digital camera that Adam and Jo had used since they had to sign it out and sign it back in and the time it was signed in was 11:30 pm. Mac frowned. He knew that could have been altered. He put the camera in its case and left the closet. He looked into the computer lab to see what Adam was doing. He was just sitting there staring at the computer screen with a grin on his face.

Mac knew there was something not right about Adam. He went back into the lab where Danny and Sheldon were. "I'll be back later," Mac said. "If you find anything, call me."

"Will do," Danny replied.

"If Jo comes in, she is not to work on this either. I'll deal with her when I get back."

Danny and Sheldon watched Mac walk out, and then looked at each other. They both wondered what was going on. They got back to their work supposing that they would know soon enough.

Mac drove over to Brooklyn to find Reed Garrett's apartment. He buzzed Reed's apartment. "Who's there?" Reed asked through the intercom.

"It's Mac Taylor."

"Mac? Come on up."

The door buzzed and Mac went in and went up to the third floor. Reed was waiting at the door when he arrived. "Mac, it's good to see you," Reed said and hugged him.

Mac had finally gotten used to Reed hugging him. He supposed it had taken him a long time to get used to anyone showing affection toward him after Claire died because he had been dead inside. "I need to talk to you," Mac said.

"Sure. Come on in."

They went into the apartment and Mac had to smile at the clutter. "You haven't changed I see," he said.

"I'm a photo journalist, Mac. What do you expect?"

Reed was not the geeky kid Mac had met years ago. He had finally gotten his hair cut and he had a good job. "So what brings you here?" Reed asked.

"I need your help," Mac said. "You don't have a roommate, do you?"

"No." Reed looked at Mac a moment realizing it must be serious."

Mac took the digital camera out, and looked at Reed. "If something has been deleted on this, can it be retrieved?" he asked.

Reed looked at the camera. "Probably but it would take time."

"I need you to try."

"Don't you have people to do that?"

"Will you do it for me? I'll pay you."

Reed took the camera. "Sure. What am I looking for?"

"Something that happened about Midnight last night. And Reed, this is confidential."

Reed nodded. "Yeah. I'll do my best."

"Thanks." Mac turned to leave but then he looked at Reed. "If anything happens, get that to Don Flack or Danny Messer."

Mac left then. Reed had to wonder what this was about but he sat down and got to work. He knew it must be serious if Mac was asking him for help.

Mac left Reed's apartment and headed for his other stop. He knew where he could get silver bullets. He could not believe he was doing it but he had to be prepared. Mac sighed as he was sitting at a red light. He had never felt so out in left field, and he could not solve the murder of Karen Ashbon because they had completely lost Ian Walsh.

Mac arrived at his next destination. He walked into the shop and heard the bell chime. He could smell gun oil and leather in the store too. "What are you doing here, Marine?" an unseen person asked.

"I came to ask for some help," Mac replied. "I probably came to the wrong place."

Mac heard a scoff and then a tall man appeared from the back. He looked no less like a soldier than he did the first time Mac saw him about twenty years ago. He had that close haircut and an even closer shave. He was lean and tall, and the green t-shirt he was wearing could not hide the toned muscles under it. He had blue eyes and a scar on his right cheek as well as a tattoo on his right arm declaring his loyalty to the Navy.

"What do you want?" Colonel Roger Blye asked.

"I see you're still using that straight razor," Mac remarked.

"And I see you're still unable to get all of yours."

Mac had to smile then. "You always thought you had a better shave than anyone else."

"You might right." Blye stared at Mac a moment. "What kind of trouble are you in now?"

"I don't really know." Mac walked over to the counter and Blye leaned on the counter.

"Spill it," Blye said.

"I need some silver bullets," Mac said. "And this is top secret."

"Silver bullets? You always were flashy. What makes you think I can make them?"

"You've been making your own bullets forever." Mac pointed to his own weapon on his side. "I need them to fit the clip."

Blye looked at the weapon and then at Mac. "How many?" he asked.

"As many as you can make."

"When do you need them?"

"I don't know."

"You need any other kind of help?"

Mac looked at him. "I'll let you know."

"I'll have those bullets. I'll start today. When you need them, you just come and see me. You know I'm always here."

Mac nodded. "Thanks."

Mac turned to leave. "Taylor, you're getting soft," Blye said for one last insult.

Mac smiled. "Don't bet on it," he said.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

Mac left there and went back to the lab. He went and looked into the computer lab. Adam was sitting there looking at pictures of the moon. Mac thought that was odd but he did not want Adam to think they suspected him of anything.

Mac went on into the lab where Danny and Sheldon were still working on that dirt. "Anything yet?" he asked.

"No," Danny replied. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, only I think it's worse. We're looking for a DNA strand in the middle of a billion grains of dirt."

"Just keep trying."

Mac went back to his office and sat down. Then he saw the chief coming toward his office. Mac dreaded that conversation but he supposed he could not avoid it. Chief Burns came into the office and closed the door. He sat down on the couch and folded his arms.

Mac was not sure what to say. "You know why I'm here, don't you?" Chief Burns asked.

"I can't say I do," Mac said. "Something wrong?"

"A lot of people have been asking me why there were a bunch of police out in Central Park, including you. There was no murder reported."

Mac stared at him a moment. "Jo thought she saw something out there last night and we investigated," he said.

"She 'thought' she saw something? Like what?"

"Chief, just trust me. I can't talk about this right now."

"Why not? I'm the chief."

"Chief, I'm not sure what's going on right now. When I have some answers, I'll let you know. I think there's something strange going on around here."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Just give me some time."

"What have you found out about that murder?"

"We're working on it. I think what we're working on now may be connected."

"Do you think there's a bunch of dogs running around this city?"

Mac considered that and then shook his head. "No. I'm afraid it's something much worse," he said.

"What? I want to know now."

"I can't tell you now."

Chief Burns stood up. "You better come up with something," he said. "Twenty-four hours, Mac."

Chief Burns left. Mac sighed. He hoped he could find something by then. He was not even sure where to look or what to look for. He hoped Danny and Sheldon could find something in that dirt they had collected. At least maybe it could tell them if there was something out there. And he hoped Reed would find something on that camera.


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter. :D I think maybe you will be surprised at what happens now. Send reviews. :) thanks for reading. miss37**

By that evening, Danny and Sheldon were analyzing the dirt. They had found a trace of DNA but it was not enough to determine anything. They had also found a hair which was too thick to be human. They were analyzing it now too.

Mac went to the computer lab but Adam was not in there. Mac noticed him standing out at the windows. He walked slowly around there. "Adam?" he said.

Adam looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking at the moon. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

Mac looked out at the full moon. "Yes," he said.

"I never take time to look at the moon. I don't think anyone does." He looked at Mac. "Can I leave early tonight? I mean, I'm not doing anything here and I have things to do."

Mac paused a moment. He was not sure he wanted him to leave but he had no excuse to keep him there, and he had no evidence that he was involved in anything. "Sure," he said.

"Great!"

Adam hurried into the computer lab. Mac looked out at the moon again and wondered what was going on with Adam. He went back into the lab and just stood there. "What's going on?" Danny asked.

"Adam's leaving early," Mac said.

Sheldon leaned on the lab table with that statement. "Mac, when are you going to tell us exactly what's going on?" he asked.

"When I know myself."

"Well, what do you 'think' is going on?"

"Something that is going to be hard to explain."

"Mac, tell us."

Mac was not sure he wanted to tell them. They saw Adam leaving and then Mac looked at them. "You know what Jo told us," he said. "If what she said is true…"

Danny stared at him with a confused look. "You mean you think he's a…a…werewolf?" he asked.

"Don't say that out loud."

"Mac, I can't believe we're saying it at all."

"Don't you know that…those are myths?" Sheldon asked.

"I don't care," Mac said. "Something weird is going on around here and we have to figure out what it is as soon as we can."

"Mac, do you really believe he's been turned into a…werewolf?" Danny whispered.

Mac shook his head. "I know that sounds ridiculous but there is something going on with Adam."

Just then, the analyzer started beeping. Sheldon looked at the results. "The hair appears to be a wolf hair," he said. "But there's human DNA there too." He looked at Mac. "You don't think…"

"Jo saw something out there," Mac said. "I have to call her. I took her home this morning to get some rest."

Mac went to his office and dialed Jo's number. Ellie answered the phone. "Ellie, is Jo there?" Mac asked.

"No, she left earlier," Ellie replied.

"Did she say where she was going?"

"She said she was going to Christine's restaurant to eat and then she was going to the lab."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks."

Mac hung up the phone. He supposed he would just wait until she got there. He would be eating dinner with Christine tonight…if he was not in a situation he could not get out of. Just then, he saw Reed coming from the elevator with a police escort. Mac nodded to the officer to let Reed in. Reed looked like he was totally excited about something.

"Did you find something?" Mac asked.

"Did I!" Reed exclaimed. "You want me to show you here or do we need to have more privacy?"

Mac frowned at that. "Let's go to the conference room," he said.

They left that office and went to the conference room and Mac gestured for Danny and Sheldon to come along too. When they were all in the conference room, Reed set up the CD he had made of what he found so that he could show it to them. Mac blew out a breath because he dreaded seeing this if it was what he thought it was.

Reed looked at Mac. "Mac, I think there's something bad going on out there," he said.

"Just show us, Reed," Mac replied.

Danny and Sheldon waited for the video to start. At first there was only the clearing but then they saw Ian Walsh come into the clearing. The data was fuzzy in places because it had been deleted and damaged but they could tell clearly who he was. He undressed just like Jo had said he did and then he looked up and howled at the moon. Mac almost took a step back when he saw what happened next. "That's just exactly what Jo described," he said.

They were watching a hideous creature that was all of seven feet tall. It was covered with dark gray fur from head to toe and had pointed ears on its head, glowing eyes, a long snout and stood on its hind feet. It definitely did not look like any werewolf he had seen on the movies. It did just what Jo said it had done and urinated around its clothes and then it was looking toward the camera. There was a loud growl, some screaming and then it had Adam on the ground. "You will join me," it growled.

The film ended then. "What happened?" Mac asked.

"That was all I could get," Reed replied. "The rest was too distorted."

Mac rubbed his face and looked at Danny and Sheldon. "What do you think now?" he asked.

Danny looked at Mac. "I don't know what I think," he said. "I'm not sure what I just saw."

"This is impossible," Sheldon said. "What do you think? Do you think he made Adam into a werewolf?"

"He's been sitting around staring at pictures of the moon on the computer and a while ago he was standing over there staring out the window at the moon," Mac said. "He practically smarted off at me this morning. Do you think that's like Adam?"

"What are we going to do?" Danny asked.

Mac frowned and sat down. "I don't know," he said. "I think you know I have never been involved in anything like this."

"So Jo was telling the truth."

Reed was flabbergasted. "Do you know how to stop a werewolf?" he asked gravely.

Mac looked at him. "Unfortunately, I do," he said.

Danny and Sheldon looked at him. "How?" they both asked together.

Mac shook his head. "I won't do it," he said. "I…" He knew he had done a lot of things he did not want to do when he was in the Marines, but nothing like this. He could not shoot Adam.

"Mac, what are you talking about?" Danny asked.

"They have to have a silver bullet to the heart. It's the only thing that can stop them."

"Are you saying that…"

"That is what he's saying," Sheldon interrupted.

"I'll take care of this myself," Mac said. "I don't want this information to leave this room."

Little did they know, that Jo had left Christine's restaurant and was following Adam now. She had seen him when he came from the precinct. He stopped at his apartment building. Jo sat outside and waited to see what he would do next. She knew what she had seen, and she turned her cell phone off and took the battery out, and her car had no GPS in it. She liked maps, and if she needed to go anywhere, a map would not lie to her or get a glitch.

Mac tried to call Jo but of course he did not get an answer so he called Christine. "Is Jo at the restaurant?" he asked.

"She left a little while ago," Christine replied. "Do you believe her about what happened?"

"I do now," Mac replied.

"What?"

"I'll tell you later. How long ago did she leave?"

"Oh, I guess about thirty minutes."

"She should have been here by now. Maybe she got into traffic."

"Mac, what is going on?"

"I don't know, Christine, but you stay at that restaurant until I get there to take you home."

"I will."

"And don't leave the door unlocked while you're there alone."

"Mac, you're starting to scare me."

"I'm sorry, but I want you to be careful."

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Mac ended the call. He wondered where Jo was but she could not answer the phone if she was driving. He could not help but worry about her. She had been terrified and he was afraid she might make some rash decision that could get her into trouble. He had seen what she saw now and he had to admit, he would have been scared out of his wits too if he had witnessed that. He paced back and forth worrying.

After about an hour, Adam came from his apartment. Jo saw him get into his truck and she followed him. She wondered where he was going but she would find out. She was starting to get worried when he left Manhattan and crossed over into Brooklyn. She knew if he had fallen prey to that Ian Walsh, she could be putting herself in danger but no one believed her and she intended to get proof this time. She would not let Mac just dismiss what she had seen.

Once they were in Brooklyn, Adam drove out to a park that Jo had not even known existed. She figured no one would think of something like this being in New York, but it was much like Central Park, but not that big, of course. And like Central Park, it was beautiful during the day, but at night it was dark and spooky. Jo turned her lights off and watched as Adam parked in the parking area of the park and got out. He looked up at the moon and took a deep breath. When he went into the trees, Jo got out and followed him. She had a digital camera with her so that she could take pictures. She had already taken pictures of him when he got out of the truck. She went into the trees which were not extremely thick but could hide anything he did out there.

Adam kept walking and finally came to a small clearing where Ian Walsh was waiting for him. "You made it," Ian said.

Jo hid in the bushes and waited to see what they would do. "Yes, I made it," Adam replied.

"Tonight is the night."

"I can't wait."

Jo watched as they both removed their clothes. She wanted to close her eyes but she had to keep getting this on film so that she could prove it to Mac. They both looked up at the moon and howled and then…Jo started trembling and she tried not to gasp as they became werewolves. Adam had reddish hair all over his body and he looked like a wolf with glowing red eyes. They went through the process of changing their clothes into stones and then just stood there a moment.

"Take her!" Walsh growled.

Jo looked up from the camera as they both turned toward the bushes where she was hiding. She threw the digital camera away into a bush so that they could not find it and she got up to try to run but Adam caught her before she could get away. "Adam, let me go!" Jo screamed.

Adam covered her mouth with a furry hand. "Shhhh," he said and dragged her back to the clearing.

Jo was terrified now. "Take her for your mate," Ian said.

"Mate?" Jo exclaimed. "You will not!"

Jo struggled but she could not escape his grasp. She screamed as he threw her to the ground and stood over her. "No!" she screamed. Adam leaned over her and drooled on her face and then breathed in her face while he held her arms.

Jo suddenly felt very relaxed and she stared into his glowing red eyes and she felt hypnotized. "Adam, don't do this to me," she said.

He paused a moment but then he reared back and howled. "You will be mine!" he growled.


	8. Chapter 8

Mac was thoroughly worried about Jo now. She was nowhere to be found and he had called her phone several times. Now, he was about to put an APB out on her car. He hoped she was okay. He knew what had happened out there now and he was afraid Jo might be in danger.

Mac tried to call Jo's apartment again and Ellie answered. "Ellie, have you heard from Jo?" Mac asked.

"She's home," Ellie replied.

Mac was silent a moment. "What? When did she get there?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Adam brought her."

"What! Is he still there?"

"No. Why?"

"Lock that door. Do not let Adam Ross in the apartment again. If he comes back, call me. . I'll be there as soon as I can."

Mac ended that call and went to the locker room. He changed into a sweatshirt and jeans and sneakers. He was tired of wearing a suit. He went into the lab where Danny was still working. "I'm going to see Jo," Mac said. "She's at home."

Danny was confused about this whole situation. "So?" he said.

"Adam took her home. I want to know why."

"What?"

"I have to go. We'll talk later."

Mac left the lab and went down to his Avalanche. Then he remembered that he was supposed to drive Christine home. He had to do that before he went to see Jo. He picked Christine up and tried to explain to her what he was doing while they were on the way home. "Mac, what is going on?" Christine asked.

"I don't know but I have to go and see Jo. She's got some explaining to do."

They arrived at the apartment building and Mac walked Christine in. He looked through the apartment and then stared at those glass doors. He thought maybe if all this kept going on they would find another apartment with fewer windows.

Mac looked at Christine. "I love you," he said. "I have to go."

"Mac, be careful," Christine said and kissed him.

"I will."

Mac took off his trench coat and put on his leather jacket. He looked at Christine again and then went on out. He waited until she locked the other locks on the door. He went down to his Avalanche and headed over to Jo's apartment.

Mac could not believe what was happening but Jo was going to tell him why Adam brought her home tonight. Why did she go from being terrified to having him escort her home?

Mac finally reached Jo's apartment and went inside. He knocked on the door. "Who's there?" Ellie asked.

"Mac Taylor."

Ellie opened the door and let Mac in. "Where's Jo?" Mac asked.

"She's in bed."

"What did she say when she got home?"

"Not much. She just said they had met and talked and then he brought her home. What's going on?"

"I don't know."

"You can tell me. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"I know that but I really don't know. I need to see Jo though."

Mac went into Jo's room. She had not even gotten into the bed. She was still dressed and lying on top of the covers. "Jo," Mac said and shook her gently. "Jo."

Jo took a deep breath. "Not now, Russ," she mumbled.

"No, this is not Russ, it's Mac."

"Mac?" Jo turned over and scowled at him through bleary eyes. "What are you doing in my bed?"

"Jo, I'm not in your bed. You're not in it either."

Jo sat up. "I must have been tired and dreaming," she said.

"Jo, I want to know why Adam brought you home tonight."

Jo looked at him a moment. "Is there something wrong with that? We're both adults."

Mac could not believe what he was hearing. "Have you forgotten what happened last night?" he asked.

"Oh, that. Well, Adam and I talked that over and I realized I had a nightmare."

"Jo, we retrieved the data on the camera. You weren't dreaming and chances are that Adam is involved now. Where did you meet him tonight?"

"I saw him going into a bar and I followed him. We talked a while and he assured me that he was fine and that there was nothing to that."

Mac stared at her a moment. "What bar?"

"I don't have to tell you everything I do."

"Jo, don't you remember coming to my apartment scared out of your mind? You were not at home before you came there."

"Mac, I just had a nightmare, and you were the first person I thought of. The nightmare was so real…"

"Stop! That is not true and you know it. You did not run all the way to my apartment from here."

"I took a cab."

"Jo, you are making this up as you go. Now, what happened tonight?"

"Nothing!" Jo pushed him off her bed. "Get out of my room!" She stood up and put her hand to her stomach.

"What's wrong?"

"Just some cramps. Get out!"

Mac glared at her a moment and then left the room. Ellie was still in the living room. "Mac, what is going on?" Ellie asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "There's something going on that's not good though."

"Mom was yelling at you. Why?"

"Ellie, did your mother act strange when she got home?"

Ellie thought a moment. "She might have been a little tipsy," she said.

"Did you smell alcohol?"

"I don't know. I was trying to get past the fact that Adam brought her home."

Just then, Jo came from her room. "Mac Taylor, you are not my guardian," she declared. "You get out of here and stop trying to tell me what to do. I am an adult and you are only my boss at work."

"Jo…"

"I don't want to hear anymore. You didn't believe me before and now you don't believe me either."

"Jo, we saw what happened. The footage was still there and…"

"Get out!"

Mac backed up to the door but Ellie could not let this go. "I can't believe you are talking to him like that!" Ellie said. "He is your friend!"

"Not if he's going to keep talking to me like I'm lying and crazy."

"Jo, that is not what I am doing," Mac said.

"He's trying to help you, Mom," Ellie said.

"No, you stay out of this," Jo said. She looked at Mac. "Get out."

Mac opened the door. "I'm sorry." He went out and to the elevator. He knew there was evidence now. He had to find out where Jo had been tonight. He knew there was more to it than being at a bar.

Mac went down to his Avalanche and got his forensics kit and went to the parking garage. He looked at the tires on Jo's car to see if they had dirt in the treads. There was dirt there, so he got a vial out and dug some dirt out into the vial. He looked at the other tires and got a sample from each one so that he could make sure he had what he needed. He dusted the car for prints on the handles as well, but there were not many prints. He thought that was odd, and they must have been wiped to be that clean of prints. He put his evidence into the case and went back out to his truck.

When Mac walked into the lab, Danny was getting ready to leave. "Did you find anything?" Danny asked.

"I don't know yet," Mac replied.

Danny thought Mac looked awfully sad. "What happened?"

"I think something bad is going on. Jo is…I don't know."

"Is she alright?"

"She seems to be but she's lying to me about where she was tonight."

"Lying? Jo?"

"Yes. I don't know if she's doing it intentionally or if she…I just don't know." Mac looked at Danny. "You saw what was on that film. I'm not making this up."

Danny sighed. "I don't know, Mac. You think she followed Adam somewhere and…what?"

"I don't know, Danny. I think Jo ran into some trouble tonight and she doesn't even know what happened. She claimed that she saw Adam going into a bar and she went in and they talked things over. Why would she do that? She was scared to death, and why would she suddenly take his side in all this?"

"I have to agree with you on that, but how do we find out?"

"I got some samples of soil from her tires. I want to analyze it to see where it came from."

"Good idea."

Mac took the vials from his case and gave two of them to Danny. They began doing the soil sample analysis and while Mac was waiting, his phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Mac," Roger Blye said.

"Yeah."

"I have some bullets ready when you need them."

"Thanks."

"When are you going to tell me what this is about?"

"I don't know but I might need your help."

"Whenever you're ready. Are we facing some sort of terror?"

"Nothing like anything you have ever seen, I'm sure."

"Why don't you come and see me when you get out of that cushy lab of yours?"

Mac shook his head. "Hey, don't be putting my lab down."

"I'm just glad you're one of the good guys."

"I'll talk to you later."

"Sure."

Mac put his phone away and watched the analysis of the soil appear on the screen. "Sand, silt, lime…and lead," he said. He considered that a moment. "There have been high concentrations of lead found in the soil in Brooklyn," he said thoughtfully. He looked at Danny. "Maybe they went over to Brooklyn."

"This soil is the same," Danny said.

Mac took off his lab coat. "Come on," he said. "We're going to get some samples from Adam's truck too. We have to find out where they were. If he has the same kind of soil, we're going to know they weren't at any bar."

"Maybe they were at a bar in Brooklyn."

Mac looked at him with a skeptical look. "You're right," Danny said. He took off his lab coat. "Let me call Lindsay and let her know I'm not coming yet."

"Good."

Mac went to his office and grabbed his jacket. He had to find out where Jo had been. He had a feeling that he was going to find something that would help them figure out what happened tonight and he wanted Danny to see it this time. He would not go alone again.


	9. Chapter 9

Mac and Danny arrived at Adam's apartment building. "You think he's watching to make sure we don't nose around?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "But we have to try."

"Right."

They went into the parking garage after they got through security with their badges. They searched until they found Adam's truck. Mac looked at the treads, but Adam had those all-terrain tires that had large treads and did not pick up much dirt. He kept looking until he found a small sample on one of the tires. He scraped it off into a vial. "Maybe that's enough," he said.

"Mac, what are we going to tell the chief and the commissioner about this?" Danny asked.

"Let's worry about that when we have something to tell them."

They looked over into the bed of the truck but there was nothing there so they went back to the lab. Mac analyzed the soil sample and found that it was the same as the one he got from Jo's car. He did a search in the computer for areas in Brooklyn that were more likely to have that type of soil. "This area here," he said as he pointed to the map of Brooklyn that was on the screen.

"That's a big area, Mac," Danny pointed out.

"Yes, but the place that Jo saw them the first time was in a secluded area of Central Park." Mac pointed to the screen again. "There's a park here that's a lot like Central Park. Maybe they went out there for seclusion."

"How are we going to find where they went though?"

Mac considered that. "There's a parking area here," he said and pointed. "Maybe they parked there and went out into the forest there."

"That's a long shot, Mac."

"It's worth a try. Maybe we will find something that will lead us somewhere."

"I'm with you, but I hope we don't meet any werewolves out there. I don't want to be a werewolf."

Mac looked at him about to protest that thought but he had to admit…if Adam had become one… "I have an idea about that," he said. "We'll make a stop before we go there. Bring your weapon and an empty clip."

Mac drove over to Roger Blye's store and knocked on the door. "His bark is worse than his bite," Mac said.

"I heard that," a voice said.

Danny looked around them. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Who's out there?" the voice asked.

"It's Mac Taylor, you paranoid skeptic. You told me to come by here and see you, now let us in."

Danny folded his arms and almost smiled at that exchange. He assumed this was someone Mac knew. He heard the lock on the door turn and the door opened. "Come on in," the same voice said, but they could not see anything but darkness within.

Mac walked on into the store and Danny followed close behind him. The door closed behind them and then Danny heard footsteps walk around them. "Come on to the back," Blye said.

"How?" Danny asked. "It's dark as a dungeon in here."

Mac turned on his flashlight. "Come on," he said.

They walked to the back of the store where there was a door open. They went on in and the door closed and then the light came on. Mac blinked his eyes with the sudden brightness. "Do you have to do that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Blye answered. He was standing right in front of them now.

Danny thought this guy must move like a ghost. Mac looked at him and said, "Danny Messer, Roger Blye. He's an old buddy of mine."

"Who you callin' old?" Blye asked.

"You," Mac said. "You act like an old hermit."

"Maybe I like being a hermit. I have a lot less trouble than some people."

"Well, do you have those bullets?"

"I do, but you owe me an explanation."

"Show them to me and I'll tell you all I can."

Blye showed them into another room that looked like a lab with tools and all sorts of things to work on guns and make metal objects. He took a tray from a refrigerator. "I cooled them fast," he said.

Mac looked at the bullets which were gleaming in the light and looked wet now because of being in the refrigerator. "I'll get them dry," Blye said. "While I'm doing that, you can tell me what's going on."

Mac sighed as he sat down in a chair. He felt like it had been forever since he sat down. "Okay, go ahead," Blye said as he was starting the drying process for the bullets.

"You're not going to believe this," Mac said. "I just want you to know that before I even start."

"Taylor, I have seen so many strange things in this world, I don't think anything could surprise me."

"This will, I'll tell you that." Mac leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. "I know you won't tell anybody anything about this."

"Are you kidding?"

"This started with that murder we were investigating…Karen Ashbon. She was raped and mauled. At first, we thought she had been raped and left out there and some dogs got to her, but we found extra large prints out there leading away from the scene. Then we found her diary where she wrote about something she had seen her boyfriend, Ian Walsh do, and we thought she maybe had mental illness or something but we found nothing that would back that up. Then we thought maybe she was making it up but her brother said that she had been afraid of her boyfriend and that he had been acting strange. So, two of my investigators decided to go out into Central Park on a stake out and see if they could see what she had been talking about in her diary. Well…they did. They saw Ian Walsh turn into a werewolf right before their eyes."

Blye stopped what he was doing and looked at Mac. "What?" he asked.

"Just let me finish. At first, Jo was telling us that she saw this and of course, we didn't believe it and Adam claimed that nothing happened, but Jo said that he had turned the camera on. So, I checked the camera and got someone to look for data that had been deleted. Well, he found it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing but it was true. He really did turn into a werewolf and he captured Adam. I don't know what happened to Adam but tonight, Jo's daughter told me that Adam brought her home. I'm trying to figure out how Jo went from being terrified of him to saying that nothing happened and that she and Adam had had a nice chat."

Blye considered that while he continued his work. "I guess that is the burning question," he said. He looked at Mac. "You think we've got a bunch of werewolves out there?"

Mac shook his head. "You know that I don't go into this science fiction stuff, but I know what I saw, and Danny and I are about to go out there where we think they were last night. I want to be prepared in case someone doesn't want us to be there."

"I don't blame you. I'll go with you and play guard while the two of you investigate."

"That's a good idea," Danny said. "But why are we waiting on these bullets?"

"Because the only way to stop a werewolf is with a silver bullet to the heart," Mac replied.

Danny looked at him. "What if Adam…"

"I don't want to think about that right now, Danny."

Blye soon had the bullets done and they filled up the empty clip with them. Blye filled up a clip of his own with them. He put the weapon in his holster. "I'm ready when you are," he said.

"There's no need to keep waiting," Mac replied. "Waiting around is not going to change the circumstances."

"You're right."

They all went out to Mac's Avalanche and headed over to Brooklyn. "What do you think we're going to find over there?" Blye asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "I hope we'll find something that will tell us what happened to Jo tonight."

"Mac, what would Adam do to Jo if he is a werewolf?" Danny asked. He could not believe he was saying that. "He didn't kill her."

Blye was sitting in the back seat. He folded his arms. "I have to admit, I don't know that much about werewolves," he remarked.

"I don't either," Mac replied.

"I hope there is another way to stop them if the bullets don't work."

Mac frowned. He knew the bullets would work but if Adam was a werewolf now, he wanted to find another way.

They went over to Brooklyn to the park that Mac thought they might have chosen. They sat there a moment and looked around them. "Mac, where do we start?" Danny asked.

"Well, right there is the closest and most secluded path," Mac said. "Maybe they went through there somewhere."

Mac and Danny got out of the truck and got their flashlights ready as well as made sure their weapons were ready. "What if there's a whole pack of them out here?" Danny whispered.

"Danny, don't make this any worse," Mac said.

Blye got out of the truck and came over to them. "Where do you want me to be?" he asked.

"Not far from us," Mac said. "You just stay with us and while we look around, you can be watching."

"Right."

They began searching the ground. "These tracks here look pretty fresh," Danny pointed out. "These here could belong to a woman."

Mac looked at the prints. "They could be," he agreed. "There are a lot of prints, but these look like they were after that rain shower this evening."

They followed the prints into the forest. "This set here is going the same way," Mac said.

They followed the prints until they came to a clearing that looked much like the one they had seen at Central Park. Mac shined his light on the ground in the clearing. "Something definitely went on here," he said. He took the camera out of the case and took pictures of it.

Danny tilted his head looking at the prints on the ground. "Those prints there are definitely not human," he said.

"I agree," Mac replied. "But look at this other. It's like someone was lying here on the ground. The prints look pretty deep there."

"Yeah, and something here dug into the ground here like claws."

Mac stared at the prints for a moment. "Why would someone be lying on the ground here?" he wondered out loud.

"And the claw prints are between the…" Danny looked at Mac. "You don't think…"

Mac frowned as he realized what it looked like. "I don't know what to think anymore," he said.

"You think he caught Jo watching him?"

"If he did, where was she watching from?"

Mac looked around the edge of the clearing at the bushes. He figured Jo would move to the nearest area to hide once she came to this clearing. He went over to the bushes which had a few large stones that he figured had been brought in here. He looked around in the small space behind the bushes and found where someone had been standing or squatting. He took pictures of that too and then looked around the area to see what he could find. He noticed a little red light blinking and moved over to it and took pictures. It was a digital camera and it had been recording.

"Did you find something?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Mac replied. He showed the camera to Danny. "If Jo was here, she was recording something. Maybe it got the whole thing."

Danny held an evidence bag and Mac put the camera in. "Mac, do you know what this is going to do to this city if this is a real fact?" he asked.

"Danny, we're beyond that now. The problem we have now is how to stop this and whether to let others know about it."

"I don't see how we can keep it a secret."

"We can't for much longer. Let's get out of here and see what's on this camera."

They all went back to the Avalanche and just as they were about to get in, Mac heard something in the bushes. He whirled around and drew his weapon as did Blye and Danny. "Mac, I want to get out of here," Danny said.

"I agree," Mac replied. He could see something glowing in the bushes. He got the door of the Avalanche opened and climbed in and got the truck started while the other two kept their weapons aimed. "We have silver bullets!" Mac warned.

When they were all in the Avalanche, Mac got out of there fast. He had to admit he was nervous about this. It was the worst situation he had ever been in. He wondered how many there were. He only knew of Ian Walsh, and now he suspected Adam…but what about Jo? Would she…he hoped not. She had kids that needed her. He would have to do more research on this mess. He had never thought he would be doing such a thing but here it was right before him and he had to protect the city any way possible.


	10. Chapter 10

Mac, Danny and Roger went back to the lab. "That was too close," Danny said.

"Well, it worked out," Mac replied. "And we have this evidence." He took the digital camera out. He had signed it in as evidence but did not exactly specify what it was. He dusted it for prints and found that it had Jo's prints on it.

They took the camera to the conference room and Mac hooked it up to the monitors. He paused a moment before he turned it on. "I hope we don't see what I think we will," Danny remarked.

Mac looked at him. "Me too."

"Should I be watching this?" Blye asked.

"Probably not. You should probably wait in my office down there."

"Okay."

Blye left the conference room and went to Mac's office. Mac turned the camera on so they could see the video that Jo had taken. Of course, they saw the transformation. Mac stopped the film there and leaned on the table. He was not sure he wanted to see the rest even though he knew he had to watch it.

"Mac, I need to get home," Danny said.

"We need to see the rest," Mac replied. "Whether we want to or not, we need to see it."

"You may be right but I don't think I want to see it."

Mac started the video again and they saw when Ian Walsh told Adam to "take her". They also saw when the camera was thrown into the bushes. It did not get any more visual but they heard everything. They heard Jo begging Adam not to do "this" to her and then heard the other one tell him to take her for his mate. Of course, they heard Jo's protests of that but after that, they heard…Mac frowned and looked at Danny as they heard a few moments of silence.

"I'm yours," Jo said. "Take me."

"You will be mine forever," Adam said in his werewolf voice. "You will belong to no other."

Mac was surprised at that. Then he heard what sounded like the sounds of sex. Danny rubbed his face and blew out a breath. "What? Do you think he hypnotized her or something? And then impregnated her?" Danny asked.

Mac was still a little shocked at the whole thing. "How did he persuade her like that?" he wondered out loud. "Why didn't Walsh do the same thing to Karen Ashbon?"

"When you figure that out, tell me. This is way beyond my league."

"Mine too. Maybe he drugged her or something."

"Obviously more to werewolves than what we know."

"Which is nothing. This is supposed to be a myth."

"Yeah."

Mac turned off the video and went to put it back into evidence. He locked it in the evidence locker after he made a copy of the video. "Go on home, Danny," he said. "And be careful."

"You too," Danny replied.

Mac went to his office where Blye was waiting. "So, what did you find out?" Blye asked.

"Something I wish I didn't have to know," Mac said. "There's something going on in this city that I've never faced before."

"We've been through a lot of things that we never faced before, but we survived."

"This is different."

Blye folded his arms. "I ain't afraid of nothin'."

"Rog, I am. I'm afraid I'm going to have to shoot someone that I've mentored all these years."

"Always something to challenge our moral standing, isn't there?"

"It would be the hardest thing I have ever had to do."

"I'm sure it would, but I'm here to help you."

"That doesn't make it better, and I have to figure out some way to tell the chief what's going on here without him calling security on me."

"Can't beat the truth. You have evidence to back you up."

"Yeah, but it's gonna look like some computer generated fiction movie."

"Mac, you must have a great reputation in this city by now. Would your chief really think you'd make up something like this?"

"It's worse. This is enough to make them think I've lost it and been working in this lab too long."

"And you could lose everything."

"Right." Mac sat down in his chair. "I have to have absolute proof."

"I would say that those videos are that, Mac. Are you afraid of what will happen to your friends?"

"Rog, these people are friends and they're like family. We've been through a lot together. You know what that's like."

"I have it for you but things happen and it's up to you to fix it."

Mac frowned. "I have to go and confront Adam about this," he said.

"I'll go with you," Roger replied.

"I can't involve a civilian in police matters."

"I'm not a civilian, Mac. I'm still on call with the Navy."

"Well, I better do this alone."

Roger stared at him a moment. "You don't have to be alone," he said.

"I'll go and talk to him. I'll call you if I need you."

"Well, do you mind dropping me off at home? After all, I got here in your fancy truck."

"Of course I will."

Mac put his jacket back on and they headed for the elevator. "What do you mean, 'fancy truck'?" Mac asked. "Are you jealous of my truck?"

"Are you kidding? You haven't seen my ride. I got a Harley that I tricked out myself with chrome and she's a living shrine to the Navy."

Mac shook his head. "You and your metal. You always did like to show out. I'll bet you can hear that bike long before you ever see it."

"Nah. You know how the noise ordinance is."

"What about when you go out in the country for a ride?"

Roger smiled with brilliant white teeth. "They all know I'm comin'. Deer hunters sure don't like me."

Mac chuckled at that as they got into the elevator. "Roger, thanks for your help," he said.

"You're welcome," Roger replied. "How's that sweet little wife of yours?"

"She's sweet."

"It's hard to believe you got to have two foxes in your life."

"I'm just lucky I guess."

"You are."

"Why didn't you marry Kayla?"

"I didn't want her to sit and wait for me to come home. I didn't want to disappear and her spend the rest of her life wondering if I was dead or alive. I was a soldier and I didn't think I would make a good husband."

"We all have those feelings," Mac said. "I thought I wouldn't be a good father but to this day I wish…"

"I guess we all have our regrets."

Mac drove Roger back to his store and then he drove to Adam's apartment building. He stared at the building a moment wondering what he should do and then his phone rang. "Hello," he answered.

"Mac, where are you?" Christine asked.

"I'm…" Mac sighed. "I'm working on this case."

"What's going on?"

"It's too much to explain. I'm sorry, but I love you."

"I love you too. When are you coming home?"

"I don't know."

Christine thought he sounded sad and distracted. "Well, call me later. Okay?"

"I will," Mac said. "I have to go."

"Okay."

Mac ended the call and got out of the truck. He went up to the floor that Adam lived on. He could not remember ever visiting Adam's apartment. The only reason he knew the address was because he was his boss and he had to know.

Mac knocked on the door of the apartment. He thought he would have to wait a long time since it was the middle of the night, but the door suddenly opened. "What do you want?" Adam asked.

Mac was startled for a moment. "I want to talk to you," he said.

"Come in."

Mac reluctantly went into the apartment and Adam stood across the room from him. "So, what brings you here?" Adam asked.

"I guess I might as well get right to the point."

"That's your way, isn't it?"

Mac frowned as that sounded almost like a slur. "I saw the video that Jo made tonight," he said.

"What video?" Adam asked.

Mac thought he saw a gleam of red in Adam's eyes. "The video she made of you and Ian tonight."

Adam shrugged. "And what video was that?" he asked.

"Of you and him doing your transformation."

Adam laughed. "You believe in fairytales, Mac Taylor?"

"Adam, I know what you are and I want to help you, and I don't know how."

"Help me?" Adam laughed again. "For the first time in my life, I don't need help!"

"Adam, this is not you and what you did to Jo…"

Adam glared at him and Mac was sure he saw some red that time. "What goes on between me and Jo is none of your concern. She's my mate!"

"You forced her! You stay away from her!"

Suddenly, with blinding speed, Adam crossed the room and slammed Mac into the wall and held him by the collars. "Don't try to take my mate," he growled with glowing red eyes.

"Let go of me!" Mac demanded.

The red vanished and Adam stared at Mac a moment. "I don't want to hurt you, Mac, but if you don't leave me alone, I'll have to. No one is going to believe you anyway."

"I don't want to hurt you either!" Mac said. "You know this isn't right! Get out of it while you can!"

"It's too powerful."

Adam shoved Mac toward the door. "Get out!" he said. "If we meet again, one of us will die."

Mac stared at him a moment and went out the door. He headed for the elevator knowing that Adam was right. There was no other way to stop him.

Jo came from Adam's bedroom. "He thinks he can boss us around even off the job," she said.

Adam looked at her. "He can't," he said. "But we made a mistake by forgetting that camera."

"I'm sorry."

"No worries. Let's get back to our own business."

"Gladly.

Mac left there and went home. He knew what he was going to have to do but he did not know if he could do it. He went into the apartment and Christine was in the living room, along with Ellie Danville. "Ellie?" he said. "What's going on?"

"Mom left not long after you did," Ellie said. "I don't know where she went. She said not to expect her back any time soon."

Mac frowned. He did not want to tell Ellie what was going on. He did not know what was going on with Jo. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Mac, please tell me the truth about what's going on."

Mac looked at Christine and she did not know what to say either. "I'll explain it as best I can," he said. "It's going to sound crazy but it's the truth."

Mac went over to the sofa to sit down. He dreaded this conversation but Ellie was old enough to face facts and maybe she could help her mother too…


	11. Chapter 11

By the time Mac got done with his explanation of all that had happened, Ellie was looking at him as though he had stepped off a spaceship. "That is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard," Ellie said.

"It's true," Mac replied. "I confronted Adam tonight and…"

Christine's mouth dropped open. "You did what?" she asked.

"Christine…"

"Don't try to downplay it. You confronted him? How could you do that?"

"I wanted to see if I could help him."

"By getting yourself killed or becoming a werewolf yourself?"

"Do you actually believe this?" Ellie asked.

"Yes I believe it," Christine said. "One reason I believe it is because I know Mac and I know he wouldn't say this unless he knew."

Ellie looked at Mac. "She's right. What can we do?"

"I'm going to try to find out more information tomorrow, today…" Mac rubbed his face. "I have to get some rest. Ellie you can sleep in our extra room."

"Thanks."

Christine showed Ellie to the extra bedroom and then went back to her own room. Mac was turning the covers back on the bed. "She's in bed," Christine said.

Mac thought he was too tired to think anymore. He had to have some sleep. He got into the bed and Christine got in with him. Mac was lying on his stomach. "Mac, what are you going to do?" Christine asked.

"Sleep," Mac said.

"Oh, Mac, you know what I'm talking about. What's going to happen to Jo and Adam?"

Mac closed his eyes. "I don't know."

Christine realized he must be really tired. She hoped that he would be more careful than…she hit him on the shoulder.

Mac jumped. "What?" he asked.

"Why did you go over there and confront Adam when you knew what was happening?"

"Can't we talk about this in the morning?"

"No! You could have been killed. Is that what you want? To be killed and leave me here alone to grieve over you?"

Mac looked at her. He supposed he had not been thinking when he confronted Adam. He was not in the frame of mind yet that he had more than himself to think about…after all, they had not been married long. He sat up. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was just…"

"You were just being you but that was an unnecessary risk."

"I know. I'll do better." Mac pushed her hair back and kissed her. "I have to remember it's not just me anymore."

"Sometimes I have to sign my name and I have to smile when I write Taylor."

Mac smiled. "It takes a while to get used to being married."

Christine laughed. "One day I was standing at the oven at the restaurant and I just thought, 'I have a husband'. It was like I had been living in a dream until then."

Mac's smile brightened. "I think the first time it hit me, I was sitting at my desk. It's funny how that happens."

"Are you still too sleepy for me?"

"Oh, I don't know." Mac fell back on the pillow and yawned out loud.

Christine hit him with her pillow. "You get over here and let's have wild sex."

Mac sat up and looked at her with an amused look. "Wild sex?"

Christine could not help but laugh at his reaction. "Don't you want to?"

"Of course but you might have to show me what's wilder than what we've already done."

"Well, you just come into my parlor."

Mac moved closer to her. "I'll be your fly anytime."

Christine put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. "I'm going to make you sleep like a baby."

"I'm all yours."

The next morning, mac woke up with his head under the covers. He did not remember falling asleep but he knew he had to get up. He rolled over on his back and looked at his watch. He was surprised that it was 9 AM. He sat up and pulled the covers off his head. "Christine…" Mac realized she was not in the bed. He fell back on the bed and rubbed his face.

Mac got up and got a shower and got dressed in jeans and a sweater. He did not want to wear a suit today because he had a feeling he was going to have a rough day. He went into the kitchen and found a note on the table.

_Dear Mac,_

_Don't be mad at me for letting you sleep. Ellie is gone to school, your breakfast is in the oven and I am at the restaurant. I love you, and I'm glad you weren't too tired last night._

_Your loving wife,_

_Christine_

Mac smiled. He had definitely found some energy somewhere. He took his breakfast out of the oven and sat down at the table. He wondered what he would run into today. He was sure this situation would soon fester and pop.

Mac went to the lab and went to his office. Danny came to the office. "Mac, where have you been?" he asked.

"I overslept," Mac said. "I was tired. Why?"

"Did you see the paper?"

Mac frowned. "Not yet. Why?"

"You better look at it. Somebody's turning this on you, Mac."

"Is Adam here?"

"No."

"I confronted him last night. I think he and Jo have gone off together. She's missing too as far as I know."

"What? You mean she…"

"Yes, she has accepted him I think."

"Mac, what is going on around here? Is everyone going berserk?"

"Danny, if I were you, I would expect anything. Where is that paper?"

"In the lounge."

Mac walked out of his office and then he saw the chief come from the elevator. "Uh oh," Danny said. "What are you going to do?"

"I guess I'm going to find out what was in the paper."

"You want me to stay?"

"No. Go on to work."

The chief walked up to Mac and folded his arms. "I suppose you know why I'm here," Chief Burns said.

"No, I don't," Mac replied.

"Let's talk."

They went into Mac's office. "What's going on now?" Mac asked.

The chief dropped the paper on Mac's desk. Mac picked it up and looked at the front page:

**DETECTIVE MAC TAYLOR ON THE TRAIL OF WEREWOLVES!**

"What is that, Taylor?" Chief Burns asked.

"Chief, I did not say anything like that to the press," Mac said.

"I hope you didn't say it to anybody. Do you know that this is all over the city? We're being laughed at, even by criminals."

Mac sat down in his chair. "We're investigating a murder and the person who is a suspect in that case is…he's part of a…a hoax." Mac knew he should not have said that. "No, it's not a hoax, it's something I can't explain."

"What do you mean? Don't tell me that you believe there are werewolves out there."

"Come and let me show you something."

Mac led the chief down to the conference room. "Wait here," Mac said. He went to get the evidence from the evidence locker.

"He saw the paper, didn't he?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Mac said.

"Let me go in there with you."

"Just stay out of it, Danny. If my career does a belly flop, yours doesn't have to jump in after it."

Mac went back to the conference room. He laid out all the evidence from the case on the table. He explained everything about the murder case including the victim's diary and tolddd him how Jo and Adam had gone on the stakeout. "That brings us to this," Mac said, and held up the disc with the information on it from that night. He put the disc in and showed the chief what happened.

Mac looked at the chief who looked bewildered. "You don't think this is real, do you?" Chief Burns asked.

"Chief, that's not the end of it, and Adam deleted that film. I had someone restore it." He went on and told him what happened the day before. "Little did I know that Jo went out following Adam." He turned on the next video and showed the chief.

Chief Burns sat there a moment and then looked at Mac. "What do you intend to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to stop them," Mac said.

"How? And where are Adam Ross and Jo Danville now?"

"I don't know. They're not here."

"They're not to be allowed in this lab again."

Mac knew that was the way it had to be but it was no less heartbreaking than if they were dead. "I know," he said.

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know."

Chief Burns stood up. "What are we supposed to tell people?" he asked. "That there's a pack of werewolves out there?"

Mac sighed. "No, but I don't know what to do," he said.

"We better just let this blow over."

"If we can. I'm not just going to walk out there and tell them that there are werewolves."

"Good. Just get this settled as soon as possible."

Mac watched the chief leave. He felt like the weight of the city was on him. He did not want to have to stop Adam the way he thought he would. He would get Don to put out an APB on Adam and Jo and to keep it quiet. He did not want this to go any further.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi. I hope you all like this chapter, and I hope you will send reviews. I guess we are getting closer to a conclusion...maybe. :) thanks for reading. miss37**

Mac called Don Flack to put out an APB on Jo and Adam. "I was just about to send you a text message, Mac," Don said. "We have another murder here. I'm going to send the text with the address."

"Is it another woman?" Mac asked.

"Yes, and a man too."

"And?"

"They look like they've been mauled."

"It looks like Ian Walsh is trying to find a mate and he's violent about it."

"Mac, if this keeps happening, we're going to have some explaining to do."

"The chief already knows, Don. Just don't talk to the press. I'm on my way."

Mac ended that call and went to the lab where Danny, Lindsay and Sheldon were. "Danny, Sheldon, let's go," Mac said. "We have two bodies."

"Not another one like the last," Lindsay said.

"I'm afraid so."

Mac grabbed his forensics kit and they headed out. They arrived at the crime scene which was also out in Central Park. Mac, Danny and Sheldon stopped when they arrived at the area where the bodies were. Mac looked at them and then they went under the crime scene tape. Sheldon began taking pictures while Mac and Danny talked to Don. "Who found them?" Mac asked.

"Two joggers," Don replied. "The guy's foot was sticking out from under the bush there and they saw it."

The silence told Mac what the other two were thinking…that Adam might have been involved in this. "Let's just investigate this and see what we find," he said. "We don't have any evidence that says he was involved."

"Surely he wouldn't do this," Danny said. "And Jo?"

"Like I said, let's just get the facts."

They began their assessment of the crime scene. Both the bodies were much like Karen Ashbon's body had been…chewed to pieces almost, and mauled. However, the man's body seemed to be torn worse than the woman. "It looks like pure rage to me," Sheldon said as he stood beside Mac.

"Definitely," Mac replied.

"Maybe Ian Walsh has some sort of problem and he gets enraged and just kills his potential mate."

"You could be right. There must have been some reason why he killed Karen Ashbon and now these two people. Adam didn't kill Jo. He hypnotized her or something."

"And Walsh couldn't do that? There has to be something else."

"We have to find Adam and Jo," Mac said.

Don came over to them. "I have that APB out on Adam and Jo, but there's nothing yet," he said. "Where do werewolves hide out?"

Mac looked at him. "I don't know but I think we need to read some more about them," he said. "We have to figure out how to solve this…" He did not want to finish that sentence.

"You want me to go to the library?"

Mac looked at Don hearing that hint of sarcasm in his voice. He tried to hide his smile. "Yeah, I want you to go to the library," he said. "I want you to check out as many books as you can find about werewolves."

Don looked flabbergasted. "You're not serious," he said.

Mac gave him one of his looks that did not have to have any words. "You are," Don said. "Me and my big mouth." He turned to go to his car.

Sheldon was amused too. He looked at Mac who was looking at him now. "Why don't you go help him?" Mac asked.

"Me?" Sheldon asked. "What would people think if they saw a doctor in there looking up…"

"I can't go," Mac said. "People are watching me."

Sheldon sighed. "Right." He went after Don. "Hey, Don, wait up."

Danny walked over to Mac with a smile. "You are sending those two to the library?" he asked.

"What's wrong with that?" Mac asked. "It would be even stranger if people saw you there."

"Hey, I resent that."

"Let's get this finished and go and see if Adam is at his apartment."

"We're going to see him?"

"Yes. He's involved in this whether directly or indirectly."

Mac turned the bodies over to the ME and he and Danny searched the surrounding area some more but they did not find anything that would lead anywhere, not even that would identify the bodies. They hoped their fingerprints would be in the system.

Don drove over to the library. "Do we really have to do this?" he asked. "Was he just kidding?"

"No, he was not kidding," Sheldon replied. "Let's go and get this over with. At least he will be the one reading them."

Don got out of the car. "You never know. He might send us home to sit and read a while."

Sheldon shook his head. "No, I think he's going to read them. He couldn't come here looking for those books after that headline in the newspaper this morning."

"Yeah, I see your point. He would have a hard time explaining that."

"Just try not to draw attention to us. We're just two guys looking for some books." Sheldon put his badge in his pocket.

"Right." Don put his badge away too. He knew a lot of people around the city knew him though and it might not do much good to put his badge away.

They went on into the library which was quite extensive. "I guess we should get some help," Don said.

"Or we can use the computers," Sheldon replied. "Or even the index."

"I never have any luck with that. I would just as soon ask."

"Come on."

Don took a deep breath. "Nothing like the smell of a library…all that paper and the smell of brains working."

Sheldon looked at him. "You're really some kind of company," he said.

"Hey, I hardly ever come to the library. That's why you guys work in the lab and I chase bad guys."

Sheldon went over to a computer and sat down. Don sat down beside him. "So, what do you do, type in 'werewolves'?" Don asked.

"Exactly," Sheldon replied. "That's our subject."

Sheldon typed in the word 'werewolf' and they were surprised at the long list of books about werewolves. "Yikes," Don said. "How do we choose?"

"We go up and look at them." Sheldon looked up at the second floor of books. "They should be up there." He wrote down the numbers and then they headed up the stairs.

"I would rather be out chasing somebody than chasing down a book," Don said.

"Will you stop complaining?" Sheldon asked. "We're doing our job that Mac gave us to do."

"Yeah, I think he just sent me here because he knew I wouldn't want to do this."

"Well, sometimes we have to do things we don't like. You think I like cutting someone open and doing an autopsy?"

"You seemed to."

"That was just an act to keep from really thinking about it."

They found the right aisle and went down to the other end where the werewolf books were. "At least they're kinda out of the way here," Sheldon said. "Maybe no one will see us looking through all these."

Don put his hands on his hips and looked at the shelf. "I guess we should get started," he said. "I'll take this end and you take that end. I guess we can meet in the middle."

"Sure."

Mac and Danny went to Adam's apartment building. Mac found the landlord and asked him to come with them. He would have to let them in if Adam was not there. "Don't you need a warrant for that?" the landlord asked.

"No," Mac replied. "I'm his boss and he's a suspect. Besides we're not arresting him for anything."

"What? Is he missing?"

"Yes."

Mac knocked on the door and waited a moment. "Adam!" he called.

There was no sound so Mac told the landlord to open the door. Mac and Danny walked in but there was clearly no one there. "Did you see him leave from here this morning?" Mac asked.

"No," the landlord answered. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

Mac looked toward the bedroom. He was not even certain that Jo had been in there but he knew one way to find out. He went into the bedroom and took out his ALS light. Danny folded his arms. "Are you really going to do that?" he asked.

Mac sighed. "I have to," he said. He pulled the covers back on the bed and shined the light on it. "Get a swab."

Danny got a swab from the forensics kit and Mac swabbed the bed. He looked at Danny who was just standing there. "Danny, we have to help him if we can," Mac said.

"I know, but I feel like I'm invading someone's privacy."

"We do this all the time."

"Yeah, but this is Adam."

"Right, and he needs our help."

"I know, but I don't have to like it."

Mac put the swab in the forensics kit and then looked around the room without disturbing anything. He looked out the window and then his phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Mac, I told you to leave me alone," Adam said.

"Adam?"

"Yes. I don't want to have to kill you. Get out of my apartment and leave me alone."

Mac looked around. "Where are you? How do you know I'm in your apartment?"

"I'm a computer genius, Mac. How do you think I know? Don't make me have to kill you."

"Adam, let us help you."

"I don't want your help and Jo doesn't either."

"Jo didn't have a choice! You seduced her!"

"She is with me of her own free will."

"No she's not! She has children, Adam! You can't take her away from them like this!"

"She and I are going to have a happy life together and we don't need you!"

"Her children need her! You can't do this to her!"

"You know the only way to stop me…Are you going to kill me if you get a chance?"

"Adam, fight this!"

"I don't want to. Leave us alone!"

The call ended and Mac looked at the phone but of course there was no caller ID. He looked at Danny. "He's not going to listen to reason," Mac said.

"Where do you think he is?" Danny asked. "Out there in Central Park somewhere?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out."

They left that apartment and went back to the lab. Mac looked at the swab he had taken from the bed at Adam's apartment. "I guess we know the answer to this now," he said. "She's with him."

Danny took the swab. "I'll analyze it," he said.

"Make sure Lindsay analyzes the rest of this evidence."

Mac blew out a long breath as he was going to his office. He did not know what to do now, but they had to find Adam and Jo. He wondered if Sheldon and Don were having any luck finding books on the subject. He was sure the library had books about that. They had books about everything. He supposed he could look on the internet but he would rather have some older versions than what came out on the internet. What was found on the internet was not always as accurate as what was found in old books. He wanted to be as accurate as possible…if that was even possible. Mac shook his head still unable to believe that this was actually happening. It was the craziest thing he had ever been involved in, that was for sure.

After about two more hours, Don and Sheldon arrived back at the lab with some books. "I thought these were the best ones," Sheldon said. "I think they go into more details."

"Yeah, they're like poetry books," Don remarked. "You really think we are going to find anything in there worth anything?"

"Don, you just go and monitor the APB and get on the lookout for Adam and Jo and see if we have an ID on those two victims yet," Mac said.

"You enjoyed sending me to that library with the brain here, didn't you?"

"Sure. Now get out."

Don shook his head and went on to the elevator. Sheldon could not help but laugh at Mac and Don. "What are you smiling at?" Mac asked.

"Nothing," Sheldon laughed.

Don went down to the morgue where Sid was not done with the bodies yet. "You got fingerprints yet?" Don asked.

"I have," Sid replied. He gave the fingerprint results to Don. "Sherry Card and Brandon Shepherd."

Don looked at the ID's. "Thanks, Sid," he said.

"You don't want to stay and help?"

"Nah. I'll just leave that to you."

Don went back to his desk. He would just send the results of the fingerprints up to the lab instead of taking them up there. He knew what this situation was probably going to lead to, and Danny had told him that they already had silver bullets ready. Don did not want it to come to the point where he would have to kill Adam or Jo. He shook his head as he thought of that. He did not know if he could do it or not. He knew why Mac was walking around with that solemn look on his face…he would take it on himself to do it if it came to that.

Danny received the fax from Don so he took it to Mac's office. "We have the ID's on the victims," he said.

Mac looked at the papers. "Sherry Card and Brandon Shepherd," he said. "Twenty-two and twenty-three years old."

"They didn't have a chance," Sheldon said.

"I'm sure they didn't. What were they doing out there at night?"

Just then, Mac's phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Mac, I just got a call about some horses that were killed last night out there at the stables in Central Park," Don said.

"Horses?"

"Yes. I'm on my way now."

"Alright."

Mac ended the call and looked at Danny. "There were some horses slaughtered out there at the stables," Mac said.

"You think?" Danny asked.

"Only one way to find out."

Mac stood up. "Sheldon, you keep up in those books," he said. "We're going to check that out."

"I'll just move into the lounge for this," Sheldon said.

Mac and Danny went down to Central Park again to the stables. There were two big horses, lying dead in their stalls. Mac looked at the first horse which was practically gutted and chewed just like the humans they had seen before. "That's definitely the same signature," Danny said. "Mac, what are we going to do?"

"We have to stop them," Mac replied quietly.

"Yeah but these people are going to want to know what happened to their horses."

"When we prove all this, we'll show them what happened. They're just lucky it wasn't them rather than the horses."

"Why these horses?"

"I don't know."

Mac looked at the other horse and it was done the same way. He could see large tracks leading out of the stables as well as coming in…but the thing he noticed most was that there was more than one set of prints, and one of them was not as large as the other two. He swallowed hard as he thought of what that could mean. He knew he was coming closer to a time when he would have to make the hardest decision of his life.


	13. Chapter 13

**I hope you all enjoy this final chapter, and I think you are going to be surprised at the ending. :D Leave some reviews. Thanks for reading. miss37**

It was Halloween. Mac sighed as he was on his way back to the lab with Danny. He could not imagine Adam and Jo doing anything like they had seen tonight, but he had to remember that they were not themselves. He knew tonight would be a crazy night anyway, and with all this going on about werewolves, it would be even worse. He wondered if they would be able to tell the real situations from the fake ones on this night but they would have to be out there looking for Adam and his new found pals.

Mac went back to his office and yawned as he was walking down the hall. He did not think he had gotten enough sleep last night. Sheldon came into the office right after Mac had gone in. "Did you find something?" Mac asked.

"Well, I found a lot of stuff about werewolves," Sheldon replied.

"And what did you find?"

"I found several ways that people can become a werewolf: one way is to put on a belt made of wolf skin, another is to be bitten by a werewolf, and another is to drink water from the paw print of a wolf…oh, and another is to be turned into one by a god."

Mac frowned. "Are you trying to make this sound even more ridiculous than it is?" he asked.

"I'm just telling you what I found."

"Any cures other than shooting them?"

"Well, in one of these it says that you can call the person's real name and they will become their own self again, or that making a cross symbol can make them transform. Another one says the cross symbol will kill them and so will a silver bullet."

"So which one is right? Adam didn't respond when I called his name and he didn't when Jo called his name either."

"I guess we can throw that theory out then."

"It looks like you're down to the silver bullet."

Mac frowned. "I'm going out there to look for them tonight," he said. "Danny, Don and Roger Blye will be going with me."

"I hope you're going to be careful."

"I am."

Sheldon paused a moment. "Mac, whatever you have to do out there, I know you'll make the right decision," he said.

"It won't make it any easier," Mac replied.

"Nothing is ever easy anymore."

A while later, the chief came to see Mac again. "Have you found out anything else?" he asked.

"No," Mac said. "I can't find Jo and Adam. We have an APB out on them but nobody has seen them."

"The commissioner is wanting an explanation about all this, Mac."

"Chief, you know as much as I know."

Chief Burns leaned on the desk. "Mac, I also know that there were two more murders last night as well as two mutilated horses!" he said, trying to keep his voice down. "What are we supposed to tell people about this?"

"Tell them whatever you want to tell them. I'm going to try and stop this threat before it gets any worse."

"Even if it turns out that your own people are involved in those murders?"

Mac frowned. "Yes, but I know one thing, Jo is not doing this of her own free will! He did something to her!"

"Mac, you can't be sympathetic about this."

"Yes I can! I know what I heard!"

Chief Burns pointed his finger in Mac's face. "You better get this under control before the leak gets bigger. This is serious."

"I know that," Mac said. "I don't know what you think I can do. This is Halloween. I'm going to try and find them tonight."

"How?"

"I'll figure it out."

"You better."

The chief left and Mac sat down at his desk. He stared at the floor a moment and just thought. He could not imagine where they were staying. There were 843 acres in Central Park. That was a lot of hiding place and it was not easy to find someone out there. It was one place in New York where a person could feel like they were out in nature though.

Mac went to have lunch with Christine at around 1:00. She was standing at the counter when he came in. "Hi," she said. "I guess you missed the lunch rush."

Mac smiled. "I was hoping I would," he replied.

Christine could tell by his demeanor that he was preoccupied with something. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Mac sat down on a stool and thought about how he wanted to answer that question. "I'm going…" He looked around them to make sure no one was listening to them. "I'm going 'werewolf' hunting," he whispered. "Tonight."

Christine frowned. "Where?"

"In Central Park."

"Mac, I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Christine, I will be as careful as I can, but I have to stop this threat."

"Even if it kills you."

"I have to do what I can."

"Mac, I don't want to be without you."

"Try not to think the worst. This is something I have to do. I'm not going alone."

"I don't want to be alone while you're out there."

"You can stay at the lab if you want, or I'm sure Ellie would stay with you."

"Yeah, what about her, Mac? What is going to happen to her if Jo…"

Mac shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm sure Russ would come here to help her, and she has an older brother too."

"That's not going to help her get over what has happened to her mother."

"I know, Christine, but there's nothing I can do about that. This is not my fault."

"Well, I know that, Mac. Who said it was?"

Mac frowned. "Jo. She blamed me with what happened to Adam. She said if I had been there, that wouldn't have happened."

"She said that?"

"Yes, she said it. I suppose if I had believed her when she told me all that maybe this wouldn't have happened to her either."

"You cannot blame yourself for this. Who would have believed that if they had not seen it?"

"I don't know. I should have known Jo better than that."

"Mac, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not."

"Come to the back and we'll eat something."

Mac nodded and followed her to the back and the small table. He sat down and waited while she went to get their food. He was starting to feel depressed about the situation. He wished he could talk to Jo and maybe he could help her but Adam…he thought he was a lost cause.

When Mac was done eating, he went back to the lab. He called Don and Danny to his office and also called Roger Blye so he could hear over the land line phone. "We're going to hunt them tonight in Central Park," Mac said. "We don't know how many may be out there. We don't know what all they may have done last night." He looked at Danny. "I think you should just go home and let the rest of us handle this. You should be there with Lindsay."

"Mac, she knows that I need to help you," Danny protested.

"No, you need to be with your family. I won't let you go out there tonight."

Danny folded his arms knowing that he was not going to win that argument. "Fine," he said.

Mac looked at Don. "We have to find them and we're going to have the silver bullets with us," he said. "Rog, do you have any more bullets made?"

"I do," Roger replied over the phone. "We'll have all we need."

"Make sure they're dried out tonight."

"Don't worry."

"We'll meet here and we'll go down there together."

"How are we supposed to search all of Central Park?" Don asked.

"I'm not saying we can search it all but I think they are going to hang around some of the same areas."

"If they're there at all."

"They're out there somewhere, Don. We have had an APB out all day. If they were anywhere in the city, someone would see them. They may not even be…staying in human form now."

Don sighed. "This just can't be happening," he said.

Roger did not say anything. He knew Mac knew what was going on because he would not have ordered those silver bullets if there had been nothing to it. He was just waiting to get out there and do something.

"We'll meet here tonight at nine," Mac said. "I want both of you to be here."

"I'll be there," Roger replied.

"Me too," Don agreed.

That night, Mac, Don and Roger met at the precinct. They put the clips of silver bullets into their weapons. "Wow," Don said. "Those are shiny."

Mac knew Don was just trying to make light of the situation. "Well, I've never shot a werewolf before," he said. "So I don't know what will happen."

"Hopefully, they will just fall down," Roger replied.

"Let's hope."

They went down to Central Park at the same entrance that Jo and Adam had entered the first time. "All the murders were concentrated around this area," Mac said. "I think they are around here somewhere."

"But where?" Don asked. "They could be anywhere."

"Not 'anywhere'. They had to be hidden all day. I'm sure they're going to come out now that it's dark. They'll know that no one is going to see them out here. There aren't many people who come into Central Park during the night."

"I don't even come out here during the night," Roger remarked. "And I'm not scared of anything."

"Well, I'm glad to know you have a little sense then."

"I know you've been out here during the night investigating a case and running around chasing somebody."

"I had a whole team with me though."

Mac shook his head. "We don't have time for this," he said. "Let's get moving and we have to be quiet."

They all moved into the park and walked out into the bushes keeping their weapons in their hands. "I'm going this way," Roger said.

Mac started to protest but by the time he had turned around to say something, Roger was running off through the shrubbery. "Now, who's running off alone?" Mac whispered. He and Don moved on through the bushes. Mac suddenly felt cold and he shivered in spite of himself and he felt tired too. He had not been getting enough sleep since all this started.

"Why don't I go out this way?" Don asked.

"We need to be together until we figure out where they are," Mac said.

"What about Roger?"

"Don't worry, he'll show up when we don't even know he's coming, and we have the ear buds." Mac pressed the button on his ear piece so that he could hear it if Roger said anything.

As they walked, everything seemed to get darker. Mac did not want to turn on a flashlight because the ones they were hunting would be very likely to see it. "Mac, I can't see anything out here," Don whispered.

"Just come on," Mac replied. "Our eyes will adjust to the light of the moon."

"I'm sure they're all excited about the moon too."

Just then, they stopped in their tracks as they heard a blood-curdling howl and it sounded extremely close. Don swallowed hard and it sounded incredibly loud. "Do we really have to go after them?" he asked.

"Yes," Mac whispered. He had to admit he was very nervous himself.

"Mac, if I become a werewolf, just shoot me right then and don't let me kill anybody."

Mac frowned at that suggestion. "Come on."

They walked a little further and then heard something that sounded like soft purring growls. They moved a little closer and found a small area that was surrounded by trees and bushes. Mac was careful not to make any sounds as they moved to see what was going on. He turned around with his back to it when he did see. He looked at Don who was looking a little embarrassed himself.

"What do they do? Have sex all the time?" Don whispered.

"I can't believe this," Mac whispered. "I want to know what he did to Jo."

"What do you think it's going to do to her when she finds out she's been having sex with Adam trying to have a werewolf baby?"

Mac closed his eyes. "Let's worry about one thing at a time," he said. "Ian has to be around here somewhere. He's the one we have to worry about most."

"I don't know about that, Mac."

Suddenly, everything got quiet and Mac turned to look at the werewolves again. He could see that Jo had taken her own werewolf form now. He hoped they could stop her without killing her since she was not a willing participant. Adam and Jo were staring at each other now and then they licked each other's faces. Mac thought he would be sick watching all that.

Mac suddenly stood up and aimed his weapon at them. "Stop," he said.

Adam and Jo were startled and Adam's eyes glowed red. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

"You're going to stop this now, Adam!"

"I'm not Adam anymore!"

"But she is JO!" Mac watched to see how Jo would react. "JO Danville! You have two children! Ellie and Tyler!"

Jo stared at him and seemed to consider what Mac was saying. Adam howled and then rushed toward Mac. "Stop!" Mac yelled, but then he noticed that Jo was running away. "Go after her, Don!"

Don headed that way and Mac got his attention back on Adam. "Stop!" Mac said. "I don't want to kill you!"

"If you don't, I'm going to have to kill you," Adam replied. "Kill me and get me out of this misery."

"Get out of it without dying!"

"NO! Kill me or I will kill you for taking my mate!"

Mac felt sweat pop out all over him as his hand trembled slightly. "Adam, don't make me kill you," he said as he blinked tears from his eyes.

"You have to!" Adam's eyes glowed red and he rushed at Mac.

Mac instinctively fired his weapon and he saw Adam stumble as the bullet hit dead center in his chest. Mac was shocked at what just happened and he watched Adam fall to the ground. He got through the bushes and fell beside him. "I'm sorry!" Mac said.

"It wasn't your fault," Adam whispered. "It wasn't…"

Mac could not believe this. He suddenly felt extremely tired and he fell over on the ground. He had not wanted to kill him. He closed his eyes and felt sick…

"Mac, wake up!" someone said.

"I'm not asleep," Mac replied. He opened his eyes and was startled to see Christine. "What are you doing out here?"

"Honey, wake up. You are having a nightmare," Christine said.

Mac sat straight up and realized he was in bed and there was something lying on his chest. He shoved it off in the floor. "Where am I?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Mac, you are wet with sweat," Christine said. "The sheets are even wet. Are you okay?" She touched his forehead but he moved back from her. "Mac, you were having a nightmare."

Mac stared at her completely confused. "What?" he asked. "That couldn't have been a nightmare. This is Halloween, right?"

Christine looked puzzled now. "No, this is the twenty-seventh of October."

Mac could not believe all that was a nightmare. "What happened?"

"Those shrimp must have given you nightmares."

Mac rubbed his face. "No, this can't…I didn't…"

"Mac, you're not making any sense. You were having a nightmare."

Mac looked at her. "If I was that was the most vivid nightmare I have ever had," he declared. He realized he was wet all over with sweat.

"Why don't you go take a shower and I'll change the sheets?" Christine asked.

Mac thought he needed a shower if his mind could make up all that. He sat up on the side of the bed and then he saw the book that was lying in the floor that he had thrown off his chest. _The Terror of Central Park _was the title. He remembered now…he had been reading that book when he fell asleep. He had found it in Christine's books and had started reading it. It had been a story about werewolves in Central Park. He rubbed his face and could not believe he had dreamed all that. He got up and went into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and thought he looked tired.

By the time Mac got out of the bathroom, Christine had the sheets changed. "Feel better?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Mac said.

Mac felt cold so he put on a t-shirt and some sweats and then got into the bed. "You want to talk about it?" Christine asked.

Mac looked at her. "I don't know. I think your book inspired my nightmare. I dreamed that there was a werewolf living in Central Park and Adam became one and…" Mac shook his head.

Christine smiled. "Even the great Mac Taylor can have a nightmare sometimes," she said.

Mac pulled the covers over him and shivered. "I'm cold," he said.

Christine felt of his forehead. "You feel warm, but you just got out of the shower."

"I'll be okay."

The next morning, Mac thought he felt even worse. He did not know what kind of nightmare that was but he did not want to have anymore of those. He got dressed for work and went into the kitchen where Christine was fixing breakfast. He sat down at the table. "Are you alright?" Christine asked as she brought his coffee. "You don't look like you feel good."

"I don't," Mac said. "I don't think I'm hungry this morning."

"Mac…"

"No, I don't think I can eat. I'm just not feeling well."

"Why don't you stay home then?"

"I guess I need to go to the lab and see if I can figure out what's going on."

Mac stood up and looked at Christine. "I'm sorry, I'm just not hungry," he said.

Christine kissed him. "Are you sure you shouldn't stay home and go to the doctor?" she asked.

"I'll be fine."

Mac went into the living room and put on his coat and went to the lab. He walked to his office and just as he was going in the door, he heard Jo say, "Good morning, Mac," in her musical way that she did every morning.

Mac looked around as she was passing by and she smiled at him over her shoulder. Jo's smile faded as she notice that he did not reply. She stopped and looked at him. "Are you alright this morning?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Mac frowned. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm just a little tired this morning."

"Must be all that hot, steamy sex."

Mac almost rolled his eyes at that. Jo hurried to her office. She had paperwork to do because she had left early the night before and didn't do it. Mac went on into his office and hung up his coat. He thought he was starting to get a headache. He figured if Jo knew what he dreamed about her, she would probably slap him. He sat down in his chair and leaned his face in his hands. Why did he feel so bad? He had gone home last night and slept. He was having a hard time remembering…but he knew they played with that chocolate. He could not believe he had not gotten up and gone to a crime scene and…

Mac leaned back in his chair and just went to sleep…

Jo came from her office and went to Mac's office and found him sleeping. She knew something was wrong now. "Mac Taylor," she said.

Mac almost jumped out of his chair. Jo folded her arms. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes," Mac said. "I didn't sleep well last night. I had this crazy nightmare and…"

"Well, come on back to reality and sign this report."

Mac looked at the report and got a pen. Jo felt of Mac's forehead. "You're burning up," she said.

"I'm okay," Mac replied.

"I don't think you are."

Mac signed the report and gave it back to Jo. "I think I'll go home," he said. "I'm not feeling well."

"You're not looking well either."

Mac got up and went to get his coat and he almost stumbled. "What is wrong with me?" he asked.

"Mac, you're sick," Jo said. "Maybe you're catching that flu."

Mac sighed. "I hope not." He put his coat on.

"Do you need someone to drive you home?"

"I don't…" Mac thought he would pass out right there.

"Sheldon!" Jo screamed as Mac fell to the floor.

Mac realized he was sitting in the floor. Jo knelt beside him and Sheldon heard Jo's scream from his office. He ran out into the hall and looked in Jo's office first but then he saw them in Mac's office. He got his doctor's kit and ran down there. "What's going on?" he asked as he got down beside Mac.

"I don't know," Jo said. "He's sick."

"Mac, what's going on?" Sheldon asked. He stuck a thermometer into Mac's mouth. He checked his pulse and his blood pressure. "Well, his blood pressure is okay." He took the thermometer out of his mouth. "My word." He started taking Mac's coat off. "His fever is high. That must be why he collapsed."

They got Mac's coat off and his suit coat. Sheldon listened to his chest and he scowled at what he heard. "Mac, have you been coughing or sneezing?" he asked.

Mac thought a moment. "I don't know, maybe a little," he said.

"You definitely have some congestion in there. Have you ever had pneumonia?"

Mac scowled at him. "No. Why?"

"I think you have a bad case of walking pneumonia. That's why you didn't know you had it."

"Pneumonia?"

"Yes, but you'll be fine. You just need to go to the ER to get some antibiotics and get some rest."

"My chest is burning."

Sheldon nodded. He looked at Jo. "Get the paramedics up here," he said.

Adam walked into the office just then. "What's going on?" he asked.

Mac was a little startled to see Adam in there. "What's he doing in here?" he asked. "Get him out of here."

Adam was surprised at that. "Mac's a little sick right now," Jo said. "He doesn't know what he's saying."

Soon, the paramedics arrived and took Mac to the ER. He was mumbling the whole time about werewolves. Sheldon was not sure what to make of all that, but he was trying to keep him calm on the way.

After the doctor gave Mac something for his fever, he felt less confused, but he was coughing some of the time. "You feeling better?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes," Mac said. "What happened?"

"You got sick. Walking pneumonia."

Mac frowned. He had heard of that. "Is that why I had that nightmare last night?" he asked.

"Could have been. What was it about?"

"Oh, I had been reading this book of Christine's and I guess I dreamed about it. It was something about werewolves."

"Oh, so that's why you were…well, it's over now. There are no werewolves."

Mac frowned at him. "I know that." He shook his head. "I dreamed that Adam became a werewolf and Jo."

Sheldon smiled. "I'm glad it was only a dream."

"Me too." Mac hoped he never dreamed anything like that again. He had been worried about his psyche there for a while.


End file.
